Aero
by MickiMChef
Summary: Preston when young, discovered she had powers, the hard way. Fleeing from her home she was found by Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance, who raised her as their daughter. When grown she became a member of the Justice League and the best friend of Wally West. Just as she realized her feelings for Wally, she was sent undercover on a dangerous mission that would change her life forever.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Preston stepped off the platform and took a look around. It was bigger than she had ever imagined and a lot more intimidating. She had dreamed of coming here for a long time, but never thought that she would be good enough.

"I can't believe I am here. Me, Preston. No, wait, I can't go by that name here." She whispered to herself while looking down and examining her new outfit. It was very formfitting, which she wasn't quite use to yet. The silver body suit had pink trim around the rather high collar and the front opening that ended right above her belly button in a diamond shape. Her blue, knee high boots were made from a leather material the same material as her elbow length gloves. She reached up and touched the mask she had placed over her eyes prior to her arrival. It felt like it was glued onto her face, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Instead it felt like it had always been there. She traced it with her fingers, it followed and curved around her eyes and continued to cover just below the bridge of her nose. "Here I am known only as Aero." She smiled proudly to herself.

She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. She did not feel worthy enough to even be here, let alone be working here alongside people she had looked up to for many years. And the name Aero? She wasn't sure she would ever be able to live up to what that name meant. Not the actual meaning of the name, but rather what it symbolized and the responsibility that came along with it.

Sure, she did as much as she could. When you are blessed with power, the most logical thing to do is to use it to help those in need. The adage was true, with great power comes great responsibility. In the years she had been protecting and saving others, she had learned about those who were truly bad at heart and used their power and skills to do horrible things to others.

And that's what this place was established for, to find and put a stop to those who were cruel and used their power in a ruthless and hostile way. They had everything they needed here to do that. Glancing up at the deck above, Aero saw more computers and equipment then she had seen in her whole life. There was no one who was better equipped to deal with disasters then they were here. Operating the equipment were two men whom she recognized only from pictures. Pictures she saw of them in action on the news. A chill of excitement and anticipation went down her spine as she realized who they were and that she would one day be working right up there alongside them.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an announcement over the PA system.

"Aero please report to Training Room Beta at 0630. Aero please report to Training Room Beta at 0630."

Her orders were given. She glanced at her watch, she had five minutes to get there. Thankfully she had studied the layout before she had arrived. So, she knew exactly where to go. She started walking down the hall, anxious to know what lay ahead of her for the day. Would they put her right into training? Would she get a tour? Get to meet others like her? The anticipation was killing her.

She took a few more deep breathes and tried to distract herself. Looking around as she walked, she noticed that none of the other training rooms she was passing were in use. She was a little disappointed. This was the only place she would have been able to catch sight of others like her, training to do what they did best. Save lives.

Training room beta was the next door on the right. She stood in front of it for what seemed like hours because of her nerves. It took her a moment before she got up the courage to open the door. She started to walk in but stopped after a few steps. Her eyes glazed over as she recognized who stood in front of her. She felt a wave of relief followed by an inkling of fear. Before her stood two of the strongest, most courageous and stubborn men she had ever met. Her fear was not relieved in any way because she knew both the men standing in front of her, rather it intensified because while she was close to both, these men had a reputation as being the toughest trainers there was.

Standing to her right was a man who was admired and loved by Aero. She couldn't love him more if he was her real father. He had raised her since she was ten. She couldn't have asked for a better father then Oliver Jonas Queen. His smile was spread so wide, it looked like it hurt. He nodded to her and she could sense how proud he was of both her and the fact that he got to introduce her into this world, his world. The other man walked closer to her. He was now so close to Aero that she could feel his breath on her face. He was significantly taller than her, but most people were since she was a mere five feet tall, but his height also carried with it a sense of superiority and smugness that was surpassed by no one.

"Welcome to your first day on the Watchtower. We will be training you for the next few weeks. And Aero, in case you might have forgotten, here I am known as Batman."


	2. Chapter 1

" **It's the eye of the tiger  
It's the thrill of the fight  
Rising up to the challenge of our rival."**

Aero practically dropped her tray on the table then slumped into the uncomfortable plastic chair with a heavy sigh. She was beyond exhausted. She was so exhausted she didn't think she could pick up the fork to eat the food that was in front of her. As she glanced down at it she sighed again and used her mind to lift the fork up. As soon as it was a few inches away and she could easily reach for it, she grabbed onto it quickly.

"Tired beyond all reason?"

Aero looked up from her tray of food to see the Flash coyly grinning at her. A wide smile immediately appeared on her face. It was one of those smiles that worked its way all the way up into her eyes, despite her mask hiding most of the distinguishable features of her face.

It had been a week since she had first stepped foot on the Watchtower and started her training. But this was the first time she had been approached by any of the other superheroes who were aboard. During the past week, she didn't even have a few minutes to herself let alone any time to go and mingle with the other heroes. Her training had kept her very busy. By the time she was done each day, she was too tired to do anything else but go home and go to sleep. So being approached by anyone and being able to talk to them was exciting for her.

"Yes." She exaggerated the point by slumping over in her chair and letting out a long heavy breath. "I'm used to working out, but this is ridiculous!" She paused for a moment to think. "I don't think I was expecting it." She smiled up at him. "My name is Aero. This is my first week here."

"I heard. And I heard who your trainers are. I have to tell you, me and the rest of the league, are praying for you," he said with a laugh as he made a cross symbol across his chest. "I'm the Flash." He lifted his leg up and placed it over the chair, planting himself down across the table from her. "Bats and Arrow don't usually team up together, due to their constant difference of opinions." He said matter-of-factly. "So, when we heard they were both training the new girl, we were shocked. What's your secret? Hmm? Did you do something horrible in a past life where you deserve this kind of torture? Did you use your powers for evil? Huh? What's the scoop?"

She chuckled softly and winked at him. "What do you think it is?"

"Hmm. To be honest, I think you requested them because you wanted a challenge." He held his chin up with his index finger as if deep in thought. Then suddenly said, "Or you had a death wish." He shrugged his shoulders and leaned in closer to her face until his nose was almost touching hers. "I'm usually a good judge of character. But your eyes are impossible to read." He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms. "Are they always white? They are the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen."

Ignoring his last comment, she slyly said, "You want to know why I'm training with Batman and Green Arrow."

Flash nodded eagerly.

"They wanted to make sure I stay away from you," she replied in a very serious tone. "Apparently you have quite the reputation for being a flirt and Batman wanted to make sure that you never tried anything on me." She paused and pretended to ponder on something. Flash's face dropped. His face began to show signs of worry. She had him where she wanted him. "Now I have to decide if I'm going to tell Batman about this or not."

"Will you? I didn't mean to flirt with you, it's just a bad habit I have. Tell him I am working on it. Or better yet, don't tell him anything at all," he stammered as he grabbed her hands, dropped down off the chair, got on his knees and quickly made his way to the other side of the table in front of her. "I beg you, please please don't…"  
Aero couldn't hold it in anymore, she started to giggle and that turned into a deep uncontrollable laugh.

"Wait, you're kidding, aren't you?" He let out a loud breath of relief that could be heard throughout the cafeteria. All eyes were now on him as he put his hand on his chest and sat back on his legs.

Aero calmed down, her face red as she noticed everyone in the room was now staring at them. All she could do was nod at Flash.

"Great poker face. You seriously had me worried." Flash stood up. "Now that I have seen my life flash before my eyes, pun fully intended, I think I am going to go. Nice meeting you. I will see you soon Aero." He winked at her as he exited the cafeteria.

* * *

Preston opened the door to her bedroom and immediately walked over to the bed and collapsed on it. It felt good to have her hair down and to be out of her costume. She ran her hand through her brown wavy hair then reached her hand up to grab her nightshirt that lay just above her head on the bed. Just doing that made her tired. She placed the shirt on her stomach and covered it with her hands. She started to close her eyes but quickly opened them back up when she heard a light knock on her door. Turning her head towards the door she saw Oliver Queen peeking his head into her room.

"So, how do you think the training is going, kid?" He walked over and sat down on the end of the bed next to Preston.  
She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, scooching closer to him. "You and Bruce are running me ragged. I am exhausted every night and I think every single one of my muscles ache, even ones I didn't know I had."

Oliver chuckled.

"Are you this tough on everyone or just me? Is it because I know personal things about both of you? If it is I can tell you right now that I promise never to reveal to anyone that you snore at night and Bruce can't sleep without a nightlight on." They both laughed. Then Preston moved even closer to Oliver, placing her head on his shoulder. She looked into his eyes and started batting her eyelashes. "Isn't there anyway to use some of the pull I have to get a little, itty, bitty break?"

Oliver tussled Preston's hair then kissed the top her head. "You're cute, but you should know better. I can tell you this, Bruce and I are done training you." Preston's white eyes seemed to get brighter when she heard that. "Don't get too excited. Your training isn't over yet. You have a new trainer first thing next week." Preston moaned. "But you are doing so well. I am really impressed and proud of you. I volunteered to train you, you know." He smiled at her as he puffed out his chest. Then he grabbed her in a hug as the door to the room opened all the way.

Dinah walked in sat down on the other side of Preston, taking her hand in hers. "If I didn't know any better I would swear you two never see each other. Ollie didn't you just see her about an hour ago up at the Watchtower?"

Oliver shrugged. "You know me, I have a sweet spot for gorgeous, super powered women."

Both Preston and Dinah shoved Oliver with as much strength as they could muster. He fell off the bed with a loud thump and both women started laughing hysterically. Oliver looked at both women and smiled.

He couldn't have picked a better companion for life then Dinah Laurel Lance. Not only was she strong and courageous, which would have been enough for Oliver, but she also had a way of being exceedingly gentle and kind. She rarely showed that side of herself to anyone, but when she did it made Oliver treasure her even more.

He remembered the first time setting eyes on Dinah.

He had just been invited to join the Justice League and was being shown around the Watchtower, the headquarters for the Justice League. When they passed the gym and locker rooms, a blonde with blue eyes in a skin tight black leotard and fishnet stockings covering her long beautiful legs, stepped out in front of him. She caught him staring at her and rolled her eyes.

"Take a picture, it will last longer," she said sarcastically.

"Don't tempt me I might. But taking a mental picture is enough for now." Oliver smirked as the woman flicked her hair behind her shoulder and turned the corner, out of sight. He turned to the man walking beside him, "Who is that?"

"Black Canary. Don't bother with her, I tried. She told me she doesn't need a man to take care of her." Flash said disappointed.

"She only said that because she hasn't gotten to know me yet."

Oliver knew from the first moment he had seen Dinah, she was something special. Within just two years of knowing each other in and out of the Justice League, they were married. They were not only best friends, they were partners. When they were fighting crime together they never had to yell orders at each other. Dinah would go left and Oliver would automatically go right. They were the perfect team.

Then one night, after they had locked up Count Vertigo, they saw a bright, white beam shoot up in to the sky. It seemed to be located only a couple blocks away from their current location. They immediately looked at one another then ran to find the source of the beam. After running only a few blocks the beam suddenly stopped. They were both out of breath and slightly frantic. They each took a moment to catch their breath.

"I think it was just up ahead to the right," Oliver said panting.

"Me too. Why don't you go straight so you can come from the other end of that alley and I will approach from this end?"

Oliver nodded and ran the direction Dinah had pointed to.

Dinah walked slowly as she approached the corner of the alleyway. She hated corners, or as she liked to call them, dumb spots criminals could easily hide in. Either way it was a huge blind spot that put her on high alert for what could be on the other side. She put her back up against the building and decided how to come out from around the corner. Deciding to go head first and use her best weapon, her voice, she looked around the corner into the alley and saw Oliver doing the same at the other end. There was nothing there. She saw Oliver shrug his shoulders. Not wanting to give up the investigation, she stepped further into the alley. She knew that as soon as she was past a certain point, the lights from the street would no longer be visible and she would lose whatever advantage she might have had. But there was a small comfort in knowing that who or whatever was in the alley was under the same disadvantage. As both she and Oliver moved further into the alley, she heard a faint whimper. It was coming from the other side of the huge trash can that lay just a few feet in front of her. She walked quickly toward the sound. What she found behind the can was very unexpected. It was a girl. Her knees were pulled up tightly against her chest, her head buried deep in her knees. Dinah waved for Oliver to come over to her. As far as Dinah could tell the girl looked to be about 9 or 10 years old.

"Hello. Is everything alright?" Dinah spoke in her softest, sweetest voice.

The girl looked up at her frightened. Dinah let out a slight gasp when she saw her eyes. They were bright white with no visible pupil and were emanating a faint glow. The glow they were radiating seemed to be the same color as the beam they just saw.

"It's ok, we won't hurt you." Dinah reached out to put her hand on the girl's knee, but the girl only moved closer to the wall behind her, uneasy. Dinah moved her arm and took a step back, attempting to make the girl more comfortable. "That white beam, was that from you?" She crouched down until she was eye level with the girl.

The girl nodded and closed her eyes again tightly. "I'm not afraid of you, I just don't want you to get any closer. I don't want to hurt you. Please. The beam comes from my eyes and I don't know how to control it. I don't want to hurt anyone else, "she trembled and tightened the grip on her knees.

Oliver moved in closer. Finally, he got a good look at the girl. She was small and frail. Her hair was long and matted, like she hadn't had a shower in a few weeks. He arms were covered in dirt and a layer of dust was visible on her partly torn clothing. How long had she been out here? Pity and sympathy washed over Oliver. He quickly took the cue from his wife and crouched down a few feet away from the girl. "You won't hurt us. We want to help you." He put his hand over his chest and tapped a few times. "I'm the Green Arrow and this is Black Canary. Why don't you come with us and we can help you."

After taking the girl up to the Watchtower, she was taken to the infirmary where she was cleaned up and examined. Some tests were also run on her that indicated that she was a Meta-Human. After finding that out, Dinah had a talk with Oliver about taking the girl in and helping her since she had nowhere else to go. Oliver was somewhat shocked that Dinah would take this girl in so easily. They had talked about having kids in the past and she had always found a reason why they shouldn't. But it seemed she had a soft spot for this girl and what she was going through. Oliver could not deny her request. After all, every time he looked at this girl he had the urge to take her in his arms and take care of her.

Preston was 10 when she came to live with Dinah and Oliver. And Dinah, who thought she would never make a good mother, was exactly what a girl like Preston needed. Preston was discovering her powers, while still trying to grow up to be a normal girl. Dinah had gone through that when she was her age as well. So, they got along immediately. Preston viewed Dinah as a big sister, one that she couldn't do without. Oliver was a little timorous at first. He wasn't good with kids, which was one of the reasons Dinah had said she didn't want any. Oliver knew that Preston was almost a teenager, but he had never been able to talk to kids of any age very well. And the thought of having two girls in the house now was a little intimidating. But he saw how much Preston loved and admired Dinah and that endeared her to Oliver even more.

As the years went by he and Preston grew closer. Not much time passed before she saw him as a father figure. One whom she loved more than anyone else. He never expected to have this kind of relationship. He thought Dinah would be the only girl in his life. But Preston melted his heart. He didn't realize he had needed her in his life this much. Oliver loved watching Preston grow as a teenager, but he loved her even more as she grew into a more impressive woman. Oliver always knew that was because of Dinah. He saw Dinah in Preston in a lot of ways, but there were some moments when she did something and he saw himself peeking out of her personality. She was strong willed and stubborn when she needed to be, but she was also humble and sweet. The one trait she had that perplexed Oliver was her charisma. He knew that he and Dinah were not the easiest people to get along with, therefore they could count on one hand the friends they had. But Preston was so charismatic and everyone she met liked her instantly. Then there was her sense of humor. That definitely came from Oliver. There was no denying that she a woman whom you couldn't help but notice.

Looking back, Oliver couldn't believe that she had lived with them for twelve years already. And now she was being trained to be part of the Justice League. He beamed like the proud father he was.

* * *

"This is the Flash. He is going to be training you on how to anticipate things before they happen and on how to be quick and decisive in action." Batman turned to the Flash and leaned in closer to him. He glared at him. "And I expect this to be a serious training session. "

"No sweat Bats."

Batman headed out of the room passing Aero on the way out and winking at her as he exited the room. When she looked back at the Flash, he was sticking his tongue out. He quickly put it back in his mouth and looked up at the ceiling with an innocent expression on his face. Aero put her hand over her mouth to cover her grin.

Flash raised an eyebrow, quizzically. "I hope you aren't as serious as he is."

Aero just looked at Flash, anxious to hear what else he was going to say.

"Besides seeing the serious side of being a superhero I think it's important to have a little fun. What do you say to that?" Flash crossed his arms and tapped his foot in anticipation.

"I completely agree."

He let out a small sigh. "Good. Because I am going to help you do a little of that too. No need to always have a stick up your butt like some people." He stuck his thumb out and pointed at the door Batman had just exited through.

Aero laughed, feeling at ease with Flash. He smiled at her and said, "Ok then. Before I can start training you, I need to know what I am up against. Show me what you can do."

Aero stretched her arm out towards the back of the room. She opened up her hand so her palm was facing down and all her fingers were pointing forward. She looked at a crate that was in the corner of the room and thought about lifting it. As she thought about it, the crate lifted into the air slowly.

"Telekinetic, neat!" Flash said loudly. "I thought I had seen you move your fork up to your mouth in the cafeteria."

Aero's cheeks became red for a moment before she shot a white beam from her eyes and disintegrated the crate.

"Whoa. You have two powers! Phew, alright well let's get down to business then."

"I wasn't done." Aero rolled her shoulders forward and started pushing out her back.

"What are you…?" Flash trailed off as he saw a pair of wings come out from behind her back. They were each about four feet in width and made up of dozens of tiny white feathers. Aero looked at him and flapped her wings. She slowly began to rise in the air. Then after a moment she straightened her wings out and returned to the ground. When she got her footing again, her wings retreated into her.

Immediately afterwards she saw a red streak go past her. Suddenly she heard Flash's voice behind her. "How did you? Where did you? What?!"

Aero laughed as the red streak went around her a few times, always stopping at her back then going around to her front and stopping. Flash moved around her a few times. She was captivated. "This is the first time I have seen you run in person. Wow. It's like nothing I have ever seen! Your amazing!" Realizing what she said, Aero dipped her head in embarrassment.  
"Nah, it's nothing, "he said when he returned to his place in front of Aero. "Your wings, those are amazing. Where do they come from and where do they go? "

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Let's just say I can bring them out with just a little push. I don't always use them." A twinge of sadness could be heard in her next words. "It took me a very long time to get use to them and I am very self-conscience of them." She didn't know why she was telling him this. Only Oliver knew this about her. But for some reason she felt very comfortable with Flash, like she could tell him anything.

"Well, you shouldn't be. They are amazingly beautiful." Flash was in awe.

Aero blushed. "Anyway, I fight better without them. Since I am small if there is any sort of wind, I get tossed about easily."

"Well, I'm here to change that, that is if you don't mind me teaching you to get use to using your wings." Flash's voice was filled with concern and comfort. He noticed Aero's face brighten a little. He took that as a confirmation of what he said. "But, first things first. Fun. Come with me."

Flash walked out of the training room and towards the locker room that was a few feet away. As he approached the men's locker room, he motioned for Aero to stay outside. He went in running and was back in half a second with two blue signs in his hands. He turned them around so she could see them. One had a picture of a woman on it the other had a picture of a man on it. She looked at him quizzically.

"I am known as the Prankster, well not officially. It's more like I call myself that. But I think the first lesson in having fun is messing with some of the JL members. What's funnier than seeing a superhero slip on a banana peel?"

"I am picturing Superman doing that right now. I submit that nothing is funnier, "Aero replied cheerfully.

Flash sighed in relief then whispered, "Good, then I know you won't get me in trouble for this. So I am going to switch signs on the bathrooms. See what happens." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's do it, "she whispered back.

The bathrooms were just down the hall. Flash quickly ran around the hallways nearby to make sure no one was around. He came back and rapidly stuck the signs on the bathrooms. Motioning for Aero to follow him, they went to an adjacent hallway, so they could quietly watch the bathroom doors. In less than a minute, a man walked up to the door to the bathroom. Aero recognized him as Captain Marvel. His white cape blew up as he entered the women's restroom which was now labeled as the men's. As soon as Captain Marvel went in, Flash changed the signs back. Now the bathrooms were correctly labeled. As soon as he returned to the spot where Aero was, the superhero known as Vixen walked into the restroom. When the door closed a shriek was immediately heard in the bathroom and out ran Captain Marvel, red faced and pulling his tights back up to his waist.

Aero and Flash both put their hands over their mouths to hold back the sound of their laughter. They ran back to the training room as fast as they could and as soon as they were inside they let out a big burst of laughter. At that moment they were both thankful the room was sound proof. Aero was laughing so hard that she fell on the floor, which made them both laugh even harder.

"Oh my god, "she said in between laughs and trying to catch her breath. "Did you see his face? Priceless."

Flash calmed down and went over to help Aero off the floor. After she was standing upright, he put his arm around her shoulder and glanced down at her. "I can see this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship."


	3. Chapter 2

" **You know the secrets I could never tell.  
And when I'm quiet you break through my shell…  
You pull me aside when something ain't right,  
Talk with me now and into the night  
Till it's alright again.  
You're a true friend."**

"How you doin?" Flash flirtingly smiled at the costumed female as he passed her in the hallway. Then he reached his arm out and placed it around her shoulders. "Want to get an iced mocha with me in the cafeteria, Maya?" He quickly ran in front of her and stopped, folding his arms across his chest, waiting for an answer. He winced when she opened her mouth, expecting to hear the response he was accustomed to, a firm rejection.

"That sounds nice." Maya replied cheerfully.

"Oh ok. Maybe another time then." Flash started to walk away, shoulders slumped, feeling rejected.

"Flash, I said yes, that sounds nice." She called after him.

He turned around on his heel. "What? Oh. No girl has ever said yes. Ok, Let's go!" He held his arm out for her to take and she gladly accepted it. They walked to the cafeteria together, Flash having a noticeable bounce in his step. As they walked into the cafeteria he caught Aero's eye, smiled brightly and flashed her a thumbs up. Then he and Maya walked over to the drink area and Flash made her his favorite drink, an iced mocha. When he finished he led her to the table Aero was sitting at, pulled the chair out for Maya and then immediately took a seat next to her.

"Aero, you know Maya, right?"

"Yeah, I believe we met a few days ago on your first day, right?" Aero shook her hand uncomfortably then quickly pulled her arm back. Flash raised his left eyebrow at her questioningly.

Maya just nodded happily, completely unaware of the sagacious looks Aero and Flash were exchanging.

"Maya has not only agreed to me giving her a tour of the Watchtower but also it seems we are both on duty tomorrow night. So, naturally we will be having dinner together."

Aero's stomach dropped when she heard that. Then she felt a dull pain in her head. She swallowed sharply. "Oh really?" She tried to sound happy, but it ended up sounding sarcastic. She coughed to try to cover up how mean she sounded. Flash looked like he was getting a little irritated with her. So, she quickly moved to excuse herself. "That sounds nice. Listen sorry to eat and run but I am not feeling very well. I will catch you guys later." She picked up her tray and headed out the door. Flash was in front of her in less than a second.

"What's up?"

"What do you mean?" She tried to look confused but ended up just looking bored.

He stepped forward an inch so that she was the only one who could hear him. "We have been best friends for almost two years now, I can tell when something is up. Why were you being so curt back there?"

"Wow, did you learn a new word today?" Aero snapped at him.  
"Cute. Seriously what's going on?" Flash was noticeably irritated now.

Aero looked him in the eyes and she felt her stomach drop again. She felt horrible for upsetting him. "Nothing, honest. Sorry I just think I am coming down with something." She put her hand on her head, a gesture to show him she might have a fever. "I didn't mean to seem so short." His face softened. "I'm off duty in ten I think I'm just going to head home and get some rest."

Flash smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Alright, feel better. See you in a few days."

* * *

Aero popped her head into the cafeteria, scanned the room and sighed. Caught up in her own thoughts, she bumped into someone when she turned back around to exit the room. She looked up at who it was only to see a man wearing a blue shirt, a red bandana around his neck and a white cowboy hat. Her eyes widened in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry."

"That's alright. What's your hurry little lady?" the Vigilante tipped his hat to her.

"I was just looking for someone."

"The Flash, right?"

"How did you know?" Aero's eyebrows furrowed together.

"You two are inseparable. I think everyone 'round here knows you are best friends. But sorry little lady. I haven't seen him."

"I didn't know it was that obvious we were close." She blushed.

"No need to be embarrassed about it. It's nice to see you two are friends. Sometimes as heroes we focus too much on the job and not enough on anything else. I know more than a few of us who are too serious and don't let people get close to 'em. They could learn a thing or two from you. Well it was nice bumpin' into ya. I have to eat some grub before I head back to work." He tipped his hat again and walked into the cafeteria.

Aero's face brightened. Commendation from any member of the JLA always gave her chills. But especially from one who she had admired for so long.

Her thoughts strayed back to the task at hand, finding Flash. The last few weeks she hadn't been able to see or talk to him for more then a few minutes at a time. Lately it seemed like he always had somewhere else where he needed to be. She was hoping since he was on the schedule for today, so they would be able to catch up. After about twenty minutes of looking for him, she spotted his red costume coming out of the men's locker room. She walked toward him and called out his name. He looked her way and grinned.

"Hey stranger. Good timing. I just got back from fighting Mirror Master. I feel like we haven't seen each other in a while."

"I feel the same way." Aero sighed with relief. It was good to hear he missed her too.

"Then it sounds like we have some catching up to do. Meet you at our spot in about five?"

Aero nodded and headed away from Flash. She had a weird sensation from seeing him. Words couldn't quite describe it. Her face started to feel a little warm and that warmth went all the way down to her toes. She put her hand on her cheek and it felt a bit hot. She wondered if she was getting sick. She didn't feel like she was. That thought was quickly replaced with one of joy as she walked up to the spot where Flash said to meet. Finally she was getting some real time with her best friend. She couldn't wait to catch up, hear about who he had fought and won, what pranks he might have pulled and what he had been so busy with.

Their spot was high up in the Watchtower. It was a walkway on one of the upper decks. Very few people used the walkway because most of the operations on the Watchtower were in the lower levels. This deck was just covered in windows so when you walked up there it felt like you were walking in the stars. It was peaceful and quiet, quite a change from the rest of the station.

Over the two years they had known each other and become friends, Flash and Aero would run and hide up here after pulling a prank on someone or come here when they just wanted to talk. It became a bit of a sanctuary for both of them, especially after a hard fight with a villain. During those times they would just sit with their backs up against the glass, not saying a word, just enjoying the silence and each other's company.

Flash ran up to meet her as soon as he was done with his debriefing. He got up there in about 2 seconds. Aero was standing with her face towards the glass, looking out at the stars. Her face looked so peaceful. A mischievous smile appeared on his face. He walked up behind her very slowly and quietly, arms out, ready to grab her.

"Stop before I hurt you. I have laser beams for eyes you know." She turned to face him. He looked a little dejected but happy none the less.

"You are the only one who sees me coming. I missed that. And I miss playing tricks on people. I haven't done any since you and I convinced Cyborg that his language circuits were making him speak in only Hindi." He laughed to himself.

"That had to be one of the best ones yet."

"Why haven't you been doing much, Prankster?" she said smirking at him.

Flash moved to stand next to her and sighed dreamily as he leaned his back against the glass window. "Aero, I think I'm in love."

"You say that with every girl you meet."

"I really mean it this time."

Aero's heart dropped into her chest. Suddenly she found herself feeling sick to her stomach. She had to take short breaths because of the pain she was feeling. Did she hear him right? "Really?" she asked timidly.

"Maya is wonderful. I have really gotten to know her well. We have been hanging out for a few weeks now. We even met and had dinner at this restaurant in Central City. She is just awesome. I really want you to get to know her."

Aero didn't know what to say or let alone think about the situation. She felt hurt, confused and her stomach felt like it was doing back flips. Her head was reeling, but she heard herself say, "Um ok. That sounds good."

"Great. I want my best friend to like my girlfriend."

Girlfriend? A hundred different thoughts passed through Aero's mind. She started to feel a headache coming on. "Flash I gotta go." She quickly walked away from him, her face getting hot again. She needed to get home, needed to lay down.

* * *

Preston slammed her front door shut and leaned against it, breathing heavily. She put her hand on her chest to try to slow her breathing down. She still couldn't believe what she had heard. Flash met Maya in person? Out of costume? She had known him for over two years and they had never done that, met away from the Watchtower. She felt her breathing quicken again. Deciding she need to calm down, she headed to the kitchen for some water. As she poured herself a glass she heard footsteps coming her way.

Dinah walked into the kitchen. "Hey sweetie. You're home late." She went up and kissed Preston on the forehead. Then she looked into her eyes. Even though they were bright white, they showed a lot of expression and Dinah could tell something was wrong. "Sweetie what is it?"

"I really don't know. I feel frustrated, angry but also a little sad. I have never felt like this. My face keeps getting hot and my stomach and head are aching. Which is making me more frustrated. Does it sound like I'm coming down with something?"

Dinah felt Preston's forehead then moved her hand down to her cheek. "No. And you look fine. Why don't you tell me when you started feeling bad?"

Preston nodded and her and Dinah walked into the living room and sat on the couch, facing each other. "I don't know exactly but I know something that frustrated me. Flash has started seeing someone. And he told me today that they actually met outside the Watchtower. I don't know why but that made me angry. We have been best friends for two years and I don't even know his real name! Tell me I am not being irrational about this, please."

Dinah knew exactly what was going on, but knew Preston needed to figure it out on her own. There was no harm in guiding her thinking in the right direction though. "No you aren't being irrational. But what are you more upset about, the fact that you have never seen him outside of the Justice League or that he has started seeing someone?"

"I am happy that he is seeing someone, I mean I think I am. It's just weird. You know how he is, he flirts with everyone and no one takes him seriously. It's just weird that someone is now. I don't think I have ever thought about what would happen if he did start dating. He hasn't been around much for a few weeks, and I guess that will happen more now," Preston started to frown. "Our friendship is going to change now isn't it?"

"Maybe. How do you feel about that?" Dinah's words were laced with smugness.

"Just thinking about it hurts." She put her hand over her stomach and rubbed it. "There is that pain again."

"It sounds like you are stressed about what's going to happen with Flash. Why do you…"

Preston interrupted her, as she started to assess the situation on her own. "I can completely understand why Maya wants to date him. I mean he has a great personality. He is funny, maybe sometimes he takes things a bit too far, but he always realizes it and fixes the problem. He is so easy to talk to. I love when he gets serious about something, you can see his brow wrinkle through his mask and he concentrates so hard it looks like his face might break. And every time he gets nervous he starts laughing to himself or he runs and makes himself an iced mocha. I mean who does that? I just can't imagine not spending all my free time with him." She grumbled loudly. "What do I do? Now that I think about it I don't think I can be happy for him."

Dinah took Preston's hand in hers. "Honey I think you need to really think about your relationship with Flash. How do you really feel about him?"

"What do you mean?" Preston gave Dinah a quizzical look.

Dinah couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"I don't think the situation is funny, do you? I mean it's a bit trivial I know, but still." Preston said curtly.

"No honey it's not that. I had this same conversation with myself before I married Ollie. Only when I thought I would lose him as a friend did I realize my true feelings for him. I was falling in love with him and I wouldn't be happy until I could be with him."

"What?" Preston sat back in confusion.

"That's why I said you need to figure out how you really feel about him. If you can't imagine your life without him, you need to understand why you feel that way and what you want to do about it, if anything." Dinah leaned forward and kissed Preston's forehead then kissed her hand. "This is not something I can help you with. But you know if you want to talk more about it, I am here. I suggest for tonight though that you get to bed, it's late and I know you have an early shift tomorrow. We can talk more tomorrow."

Preston absentmindedly nodded as Dinah walked out of the room. Her head felt like it was spinning, and the nauseous feeling had returned. Laying down on the couch hoping to get some relief, she closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep, thoughts of Flash invading her dreams.

* * *

Flash was thrown hard against the light pole across the park from where Clayface stood. He hit it with a loud thump and groaned, feeling a sharp pain in his back. Rubbing the spot, attempting to ease the pain, he tried to stand but failed miserably. Clayface moved closer to him and laughed with a deep, guttural voice. Flash could see him forming a hammer with one of his arms. As soon as he lifted his arm up Flash saw a wire rope wrap around it and cut it off. He looked behind Clayface to see Batman and Aero running towards him. Aero's eyes got brighter as a thick white beam came from them and struck Clayface directly in the back. Then Aero headed towards Flash, took hold of his arm and put her other hand on his back to help him up. He nodded at her as if to say he was alright. She let go of him and ran back towards Clayface. This time she picked up the light pole that Flash had just crashed into, with her mind. She brought it closer to the creature and plunged it into his body, cutting him in half. Batman used the time that Clayface was starting to form himself again, to place a few bombs into his bottom half.

"Run, get out of the way!" Batman shouted at Aero and Flash.

Flash picked Aero up and quickly ran a few blocks away from the explosion. Batman found cover behind a semi-truck that was parked nearby. After he heard the bombs go off he came out from behind the truck and walked slowly over to the pile of mud that now lay on the ground. It was slowly coming together and forming a body. He could sense that Aero and Flash were only yards away, so he yelled over his shoulder at them. "Aero fly up and detach that electrical line from that building. We will use the electricity to keep Clayface from being able to keep a solid form."

Aero stopped in her tracks, surprised. She started to get nervous. "I will just remove it from here. I think I can see it."

Batman ran over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You will be too slow that way. Just get up there and do it, hurry before he gets solid." He gave her a stern look before running back over to the slowly forming Clayface.  
Instead of flying up to the electrical line, Aero shot another beam into the unidentifiable shape. Batman quickly turned his head towards her and glared at her angrily. "What are you doing?" He growled at her. "Forget it, Flash run through him as many times as you can. I'm going to get an electrical charge ready. Aero stop your beam. It's not doing anything."

Flash quickly charged the almost formed Clayface as many times as he could while Batman worked quickly on the charge. Aero just stood back and watched, a wave of remorse coming over her.

Suddenly they all heard a gravelly voice, chuckle. Flash stopped running and stepped back to where Aero was. They hadn't been fast enough, Clayface was now fully formed. He snickered at them and quickly went down the sewer drain. All they could hear was his laugh as he got further and further away.

"Thankfully I put a tracker on him." Batman looked at Aero, a dark scowl on his face. She cowered and turned her head away from his glare. "Let's get back up to the Watchtower so we can see what he is up to."

"Aero, come inside now." Batman motioned for Aero to go inside the small room. He followed her in. She sat down at the table across from Flash and Batman. Batman looked at her, disappointment present on his face. Baffled he put his palm on his forehead, rubbing it firmly. "I honestly don't know what to think. What happened out there?"

Aero, put her head down in dismay. She was disappointed in herself. "I don't know what to say."

"I do. When we brought you here and trained you, we did so with the understanding that you would do whatever it takes to help people. We brought you in for all your assets, not just the ones you felt like using. Today, today I was truly disappointed in you."

Flash looked up at Batman, who was now out of his seat pacing the room. He cringed at Batman's words to Aero. He knew they hurt her. She and Batman were close. Flash knew they had known each other a long time and they were friends outside of the Justice League. He also knew Batman's opinion meant a lot to Aero, so he knew these words would sting. Deciding to break the tension in the room, he opened his mouth to say something but immediately shut it when he saw Aero walk over to the other side of the room and stop right in front of Batman. She stood on her tip toes, so she could look him in the eyes as she spoke.

"Don't you think I know that? I'm sorry ok? I have no excuse for my actions out there!" She barked.

"Someone could have gotten hurt! What were you thinking?" Batman got right back in her face.

"I wasn't." Aero crossed her arms over her chest in a huff, planted her feet back down on the floor and put her head down.

"I'm going to take you off duty for a few days. I don't have any other choice." Regret filled Batman's voice. Flash looked at him with wide eyes.

"Fine." Aero walked out of the room and slammed the door on the way out.

"What just happened?" Flash asked, to no one in particular.

"I will be in the control center." Batman said, deadpan.

Flash left the room and went in search of Aero. As he walked towards the direction he knew she would go in, he passed Maya in the hallway. As he passed her, she grabbed his arm. "Hey, where you off to? You didn't even see me. Is everything ok?"

"Oh hey. Look I can't talk now I have to go help Aero. I will see you later ok?" Flash gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then headed off in the direction of the gym. Maya stood there with a blank look on her face.

Anytime Aero had a hard day, or didn't win a fight, she had a certain way of getting her stress out. Flash, knowing this headed to the gym, expecting to see Aero there running laps. As he entered the room, Aero was standing near the back of the room, her head butted up against the wall. She didn't look like she had even started running yet. He slowly approached her, not wanting to upset her even more. "Hey, want me to run a few laps with you?"

She turned toward him when she heard his concerned voice. Her face was red, and he could tell her eyes were welling up with tears.

"Yeah. Let's go." She started running and he took his place by her side. They ran for over twenty minutes without saying a word to each other. Every few laps Flash would look over at Aero. Her face was still red but there were no longer tears in her eyes. He could tell she was building up a sweat, and he knew she was getting tired and a little dehydrated.

"I need some water, why don't we take a break?" He led her off the track and over to the water fountain. They both drank enough water to wet their mouths just a little. Then after a few minutes drank a little more. This is the most he ever saw Aero run and it was the fastest she had ever gone. He was worried about her. When they were fighting Clayface earlier he could tell that something was wrong. Then Batman talked to her and it was apparent something else was going on besides her disappointment from the fight. He had never seen her act that way with anyone, especially Batman. He knew though that he couldn't get her to talk by just asking her what was going on. His goal was to give her a little comfort and try to counteract the hurtful things that Batman had said.

Since Aero came into the Justice League she had worried about one thing, letting them down and being a disappointment. And that's the one thing that Batman accused her of. Batman had to know how much he hurt her, but he was stubborn and full of pride. One thing he was not known for was his apologies. So Flash wanted to try to at least smooth that over. He sat on the floor with his back against the wall and patted the floor next to him willing her to sit next to him. She sat down and took a deep breath. Flash put his hand on her knee.

"Did I ever tell you about the time that when I went into fighting Gorilla Grodd by myself and he ended up controlling my mind and making me hurt Green Lantern? Or the time I thought I didn't need the Justice League and I ended trying to find Shade myself. You know what happened? I let a guy drop off the roof and almost let him die." Flash's voice was thick with regret.

"Why are you telling me this?"

He rubbed his hand over her knee. "So you know we all make mistakes. Especially me. It took me the longest to acclimate to the group and to work as a team. You know me, I'm headstrong and a little naïve. I don't always think before I act. Trust me, it's gotten me into a lot of scraps."

Aero chuckled a little. "Yeah I think I have heard a few stories from Green Arrow."

"So you made a mistake. Trust me when I tell you that everything else that you have done has made the League proud to call you one of their own, even Batman. And especially me. I am proud of everything that you have done since you have been here." Aero blushed and looked away from Flash. She started feeling warm again. "Can I ask you something Aero?" She turned her head back towards him, and nodded. "Two years ago we worked on fighting while using your wings, but I noticed you rarely, if ever, use them. And I have never known you to disobey an order. Especially one from Batman. Is something wrong? We didn't get to finish talking yesterday. Have you been ok?"

Aero was touched by the amount of worry she heard in Flash's voice. It made her happy to hear he cared about her so much. She felt comfortable with him and trusted him with her life. That feeling compelled her to open up to him today. She had held back on telling anyone anything about her wings except for the fact that she was self-conscience about them. If she was going to open up to anyone it was going to be her best friend.

She let out a shaky breath. "I told you back then that I was self-conscience about my wings. That is one of the reasons I don't use them. My wings were the first power I got. Can you imagine a nine year old me walking around with wings sprouting out of her back? I didn't know how to control them back then. I didn't know I could make them go away. Everyone thought I was a freak and no one wanted to be around me. But, there's more. I never got used to the weight or length of my wings. I'm still not. But it was worse when I first got them. I stumbled a lot, and worse, I accidently hurt people." Her voice started to quiver. "About the second week that I had the wings, I was trying to lay low at the foster home. I mostly kept to myself and I slept out in the tree house. That's the only place my wings would fit. One day though I didn't notice one of the other kids coming up to me. I sharply turned around, still not seeing him there, and my wing stabbed him in the eye." Aero whimpered and let a tear fall from her eyes. "That's when I ran away from there."

Flash wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "I had no idea. I am so sorry."

"I have been scared ever since to leave them out around people. I have tried several times to get use to keeping them out, but when I do, I just chicken out. "

"Well I don't know what to say. We have been best friends for two years now and I find out you are keeping all kinds of secrets from me, when I myself have been nothing but an open book." He smiled lovingly at her and patted her on the back.

Aero gawked at him. "Yeah right."

"Because I just found out my best friend is keeping all kinds of secrets from me, I think she kind of owes me now. Let's see, what can she do for me?" He tapped his finger on his chin, then quickly snapped his fingers. "Got it! I still don't know where your wings come from. Can you show me?"

Aero nodded and took Flash's hand in hers. She placed his hand on the upper part of her back. "Feel around near my shoulder blades." Flash moved his index finger to her right shoulder blade and felt a slit in the material. He slowly moved the material aside and ran his finger on her back. As he did this Aero's breathing stopped and a chill ran down her whole body. She tried to take a deep breath but couldn't. Flash didn't seem to notice, he was too fascinated by what he found on her back.

"Whoa, there is a tattoo of a wing on your shoulder blade. Is that where your wing comes from?"

After gulping, she caught her breath and responded weakly. "Yeah."

"Take your wings out."

She cringed before she nodded in agreement. "Ok, stand back." Aero stood up and pushed out her shoulders. Slowly her wings start poking out the back of her costume. After a minute, the wings were fully emerged.

Flash gaped at her. "I'm still amazed at them. Ok I want you to do something for me." He walked over to the mirror and motioned for her to come over. "Look in the mirror at yourself and at your wings. They are a part of you. Each feather works together to give you a special ability that few people have. Now don't see them as being separate, but look at them as an extension of you. Aero, you are a strong, loyal, courageous and beautiful woman." Flash looked at her dreamily.

She looked so beautifully innocent standing there in front of the mirror. She had just trusted him with something that she had never shared with anyone else. Seeing her this like this, vulnerable and timid, made her exquisite in his eyes. He shook off this feeling and coughed to cover his anxiousness. "These wings add to your persona. When you start looking at them like that, it will help you get more comfortable with them. Look since you are off duty for a few days, why don't we use the down time to practice with them?"

Aero gazed at Flash with admiration. "Thank you," she moved closer to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

As her lips grazed his cheek, she felt her own cheeks warm up. She quickly moved away from him. "I think I need to go talk to Batman now and apologize. Should we meet here tomorrow?" Flash nodded and smiled as Aero left the room.

* * *

Before going to apologize to Bruce, Preston needed to talk to Dinah. She hoped that she was home when she walked into the house that afternoon. She walked into the kitchen to find a note on the fridge.

 _Preston,  
Dinah and I went to go meet an old friend for some drinks. Dinner is in the fridge, it's  
your favorite. We shouldn't be home too late.  
Love,  
Ollie  
_  
Preston sighed, a little frustrated. She would have to talk to Dinah later. Since the house was empty, she decided to bake some cookies to bring over to Wayne Manor, hoping these would be the ice breaker.

After the cookies were done, she packed up the whole batch and drove over to Wayne Manor. When she reached the gate, she pulled out a little button and pushed it. The gate opened wide, she entered and drove up to the Mansion door. She grabbed the cookies and got out of the car. As she walked up to the door she took a deep breath then knocked. After a minute or so the door opened to reveal an older gentlemen wearing a black suit, white shirt and black bowtie.

"Hey Alfred," Preston leaned in, put her hand on his chest and reached up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Hello Miss Preston. Come in. How are you? You haven't been here in some time."

"I know, I'm sorry," she said regretfully.

"I understand how busy fighting crime can be, there is no need for apologies. I am very happy to see you." He smiled at her as he led her into the study. "Shall I make you and Master Bruce some tea?"

"That sounds nice. Thank you Alfred." As he exited the room, Preston sat the cookies down on the desk and sat down in one of the chairs. She was nervous and couldn't keep herself from sighing and tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair.

"I don't think you could afford to replace the chair if you happened to get a scratch on it." A deep voice sounded from behind her. She turned around to see Bruce walk into the room. He was in a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. It looked like he was getting ready to turn in for the night. She stood up when he came in.

"Hi. I'm sorry to come by this late. I just couldn't leave things the way we did earlier." She pointed at the cookies sitting on the desk. "I made your favorite cookies. I was hoping they could be a peace offering." Her voice was bright and airy.

Bruce looked down at the desk. He sat down behind it, took the lid off the container, grabbed a cookie and took a few bites. Preston sat back down across from him, feeling a little more at ease.

Just then Alfred came in the room carrying a tray. "I made chamomile for both of you. It is a rather calming tea." He knew just the right things to do. They both thanked Alfred and took a sip of the tea. "Anything else I can get you Miss Preston?"

"No thank you Alfred, the tea is wonderful."

Alfred turned to exit the room. "What about me Alfred?" Bruce asked sarcastically.

Alfred raised his left eyebrow and glanced at Bruce. "Guests are my priority sir. Especially pretty ones." He winked at Preston as he exited the room. This comment made Preston giggle a little.

That softened Bruce's expression and he smiled. "I'm glad you came by."

"Me too. I don't know what got into me earlier. I should have never got up in your face like that. I am so sorry."

"No I am sorry. Everyone makes mistakes."

"Even you?" Preston gave him a questioning look.

"Yes. Especially me. I made a mistake in the way I talked to you. I realize I touched on a sensitive subject." Regret could be heard in his voice. "I want you to know that I am anything but disappointed in you. I am very proud of you and of the woman that you have become."

Preston glowed when she heard that, and a blush came up into her cheeks. "Thank you but you had every right to be disappointed. I let you down and someone could have gotten hurt. I am so sorry. I want you to know that I will take advantage of having a few days off duty and work on getting comfortable with my wings."

"I know you will. Can I do anything to help?"

"Accept my sincere apology."

Bruce got up from his chair and went over and sat on the desk in front of Preston. "Of course." She stood up and gave him a hug. He still was not quite use to hugging anyone, but this felt oddly comfortable. He had known Preston as long as she had been with Oliver and Dinah. In fact he felt while watching her grow and become the person she was today, was almost like watching his own child. He was happy to be in her life as a mentor and friend. She had filled a void he hadn't realized he had after losing his last ward. Jason was more like a son to Bruce then he had ever realized. It was only after Jason was gone Bruce discovered that he missed playing the role of a father. So, when Preston came into the lives of Oliver and Dinah, Bruce had initially resisted getting close to her, afraid it would cause feelings he had suppressed to resurface. But he found it impossible to keep his guard up around her. So much so that she became the only person he was comfortable enough with to allow any kind of physical contact. He tried to resist her hugs, but after a while he just gave in and let himself enjoy the closeness. She sat down again and he handed her a cookie. "Try dipping it in the tea, it tastes really good."

* * *

As Preston walked up to her room that night her brain went over the events of the day. She knew that it wasn't only her wings that caused problems for her. The night before she had gone to bed thinking about what Dinah had said to her. She spent most of her sleepless night trying to sort out her feelings for Flash. The next day she found that her brain refused to focus on anything else. She had been distracted.

After the incident today she was mad at herself for losing focus. That's why she blew up at Bruce. She couldn't believe she was talking to him like that. It was like she was outside of her body just watching the whole scene play out. She still felt embarrassed at what she said and did. Going to see Bruce tonight though made her feel a little better.

After storming off to the gym and spending time with Flash, her thoughts were more focused. The realization of her true feelings finally came to light. She loved him, she was in love with her best friend. When this had happened, she wasn't sure, but it excited her and scared her at the same time. She didn't know what to do now. How was she supposed to act around him? She had to figure it out quickly because she was going to be spending a lot more time with him than usual. Maybe she could get a better perspective after a good night's sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

" **Dreaming about the day when you wake up  
And find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time.  
If you can see I'm the one who understands you  
Been here all along so why can't you see"**

"It appears this is more than just a coincidence now." Martian Manhunter looked at the computer screen from behind where Batman was sitting.

"My thoughts exactly." Batman pushed a few buttons on the keyboard in front of him and a new image appeared on the screen. "This makes three superheroes in two months."

"Yes." Martian Manhunter looked closer at the profiles on the screen. "Have you noticed anything they may have in common?"

Batman brought up each profile individually and spent a few seconds glancing at them all before responding. "Except that they all have powers, I haven't been able to find a link between them. I have even checked their home base, nothing seems to stand out."

" I have also investigated the disappearances and found nothing. I feel this now warrants a deeper search."

Batman turned around to face his associate. "I agree. However, until we know for sure what this is, let's keep this just between us."

"Agreed, "Martian Manhunter nodded to Batman and slowly exited the computer room. Batman turned back toward the screen and checked over the information again, with a slight tinge of worry in his face.

* * *

Aero glanced up at the clock on the other side of the room. 12:00 am. Ten more minutes until Flash would arrive. She was so nervous about seeing him, she didn't know how she was going to act. How do you act towards someone who you realize you are in love with? And they are with someone else?

She had asked Dinah that question earlier that day. Relief washed over her as Dinah had come into her bedroom that morning to talk. She had been anxious about the ordeal for days now. When Aero was expressing her feelings Dinah just smiled like she knew exactly what Aero was going to say.

"If I was a better person I wouldn't do this but, I told you so." Dinah laughed, a bit too heartily. She put her hand on Aero's shoulder to steady herself. "Sorry. Look, don't try to push the feelings aside, because trust me they will keep coming up. Do yourself a favor and enjoy the time you have with him. You may not be able to be with him the way you want to be, but at least you have him as friend and that is worth more. So, if you start to get nervous, and I know you will, just take a deep breath and just focus on your training."

"You really think that will help that much?"

"You have no idea, "Dinah smirked like she was remembering something funny. "Trust me."

Aero shook her head and took a deep breath doing what Dinah told her to do. She looked up at the clock again and noticed she had about eight minutes until he got there. Her nervousness was getting the best of her, so she decided she needed to run it off.

Aero was still running laps when Flash walked into the room. He watched her for a few seconds then ran up beside her. "Are you trying to impress your trainer by starting before he gets here?" He smirked and ran faster until he was passing her every ten seconds. "On your left," he said with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

She finally slowed down and walked to the middle of the room, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in.

"Everything ok Aero? You look nervous. Are you worried about using your wings? "

"Sure am," She lied and hoped he would buy it.

"That's what I thought. And you are right to be nervous this won't be easy." He leaned in closer to her, so their noses were almost touching and looked straight into her eyes." I have faith in you though."

His last comment and look made her cheeks warm. She took another deep breath. "Let's just get started already."

"In a hurry, there's a girl after my own heart. First things first, I want you to take your wings out any chance you get and just walk around. Since it's so late and there is just a skeleton crew here, tonight we are just going to walk around the Watchtower. It will help you get used to having them out. Doing that will help you get use to how they feel, their width and height and any other things you might be worried about."

With anxiety nipping at her, Aero pushed her wings out. Flash opened the training room door and motioned for her to go outside it. The two of them walked through the halls of the Watchtower for over an hour. They passed a few people and Aero tried to gracefully move her wings out of the way so she wouldn't injure anyone. She was successful for the most part, but the last person who passed her, she leaned a little too into her turn and the tip of her wing nicked a wall that sent her stumbling backwards. Feeling annoyed, she tried to stand up until she heard Flash laughing from beside her. His cheerful laugh made it impossible for her to stay serious.

"Takes these accidents and make light of them. It isn't the end of the world and all you can do is learn from them." Flash put his hand on her back and grabbed her hand with his other hand and pulled her back up. When she was standing again she quickly pulled her arm away from him and rubbed the goosebumps away as quickly as she could. He didn't seem to notice. "Well it's about 2am and I have the early shift tomorrow. I need to head home." He looked at Aero, a hint of pride in his eyes. "I will see you tomorrow same time." He gave her a quick hug then turned and walked down the hallway.

Aero sighed. "One night down and who knows how many to go," she thought as she turned and went the other way.

* * *

"J'onn, come in." Batman held his right hand up to his ear, pushing in the small button on the side of the receiver that was placed in there. "J'onn, meet me at Wayne Manor tonight, we have some things to discuss."

"I will be there." J'onn answered on the other end.

Batman brought his hand down and put it on the papers on desk. He grabbed them angrily and scrunched them up into a ball. He threw the ball as far away from him as he could get it. Glancing in the direction he threw them, he saw nothing, perks of having a dark cave as your superhero hideout. But not seeing the information unfortunately didn't make it go away or make it any less true. He hoped going over it tonight with J'onn would help him sort it out and give him an obvious solution to the problem. None of the solutions he had come up with were any that he would he happy living with.

* * *

Flash ran in a small circle in the training room as fast as he could, until a small tornado started to form. As he ran he started to shout, "Ok when this gets a bit bigger, fly over here. This is how we are going to get you to stabilize yourself in bad conditions."

Aero nodded, even though she knew Flash couldn't see her. She was a bit terrified of the wind, but since she had been training with Flash for the past few weeks now, she trusted him more than ever. She knew he had her best interests at heart and he was only focused on making her into a better superhero.

The past two weeks started out a little rocky, and not because of the training exercises. Rather because of Aero's feelings. But after a few days, she allowed herself to get comfortable being around Flash again. And she was so thankful he was doing this to help her. Every night until almost 3 or 4 am he was with her, training her and helping her to conquer her fears. Occasionally she would let her mind drift and wonder how this was affecting his relationship with Maya, but she quickly brushed that away and focused again on the task at hand and the great friendship the Flash and her shared.  
It helped to come home to Dinah and be able to have her as a confidant. Dinah was her best girlfriend and understood her in a way that not even the Flash could. And since she had gone through something similar with Ollie, she was happy to share her wisdom with Aero.

Aero noticed the tornado rising closer to the ceiling, she flapped her wings and glided over to it. When she got near to it, she felt very unsteady.

"Don't focus on the wind. Just pick a point on the other side of the room to focus on and head towards it. When you start to feel a bit wobbly just flap a few times to steady yourself then focus on the point again. Focus is the most important part of this exercise. I have to focus a lot when I am running, or I would hit things. And like you, the wind would be too much for me and it would knock me backwards. If I can't find a point to focus on, I think of something that is important to me and use that as my focus. Try it." Flash shouted as he ran, not even moving his head to look at Aero for fear he would interrupt the tornado.

Aero tried to focus on a point on the opposite wall but found that she couldn't. Then she glanced down at Flash. She instead decided to focus on him and she found herself moving further into the tornado. It was working for a moment but then her right wing suddenly jerked backwards, pulling her right shoulder with it. She yelped in pain and started spiraling toward the floor, flapping her left wing wildly to keep from crashing to the ground.

Flash heard her and looked up to see her tumbling towards him. He forced himself to slow down. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

She tried to answer him but was too busy trying to slow herself down, to no avail. Flash swiftly moved so he was right under her to break her fall. What had he done? His face filled with regret and worry as Aero slammed into him and they both hit the ground with a loud thud. Flash quickly sat up and brought Aero into his arms to examine her.

"Are you hurt?" He was afraid of the answer but needed to assess the situation.

Aero groaned and raised her head and tried to sit up but a shooting pain in her back and shoulder stopped her. "I'm ok. I think I just tore my shoulder and bruised my back." She looked back at Flash who was obviously distressed. She reached up her left arm, the only one she could move at the moment, and placed it on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm ok. Real superheroes deal with this stuff all the time. Remember what you said, use these accidents and learn from them. I wasn't focused enough when I went into the wind. I will definitely remember that for next time." She chuckled a little. "Yeah that is something I won't forget for a while."

Flash was still concerned. "Can you at least stand?" He held on to her more tightly and stood up. Then he placed her feet on the ground and helped her stand upright.

"Yes, the pain in my back isn't too bad. But I need to get my shoulder tended to."

"Let me walk you to the infirmary." He held onto her waist and walked with her until he set her on a bed in the Watchtower's infirmary. She laid back on the bed as The Atom came over to examine her. Flash stepped back, leaned against the wall in the room and started to tap his foot on the ground. He was so worried he didn't notice how fast he was tapping.

"If you keep tapping at that speed you will vibrate the molecules of the floor apart, thus leaving a big hole in my floor." The Atom said to Flash, not even looking up from his examination of Aero.

Flash looked up and said apologetically, "I'm sorry. Is she ok? Is it bad?"

"No. Her back is relatively uninjured except for the nasty bruise that will be there tomorrow. But I do have to pop her right shoulder back into place. She has shoulder subluxation. Or in other words her shoulder is partly dislocated." He looked at Aero seriously. "You ready, this is going to be a bit painful. I need to pop the ball back in."

Aero nodded and bit her lower lip. Atom grabbed her arm and moved it in a way that placed the shoulder back in its proper place. Flash winced in pain at the sound.

"Alright I'm going to give you a mild pain medication and you have to wear your arm in a sling for a few weeks. The dislocation wasn't bad, but I would rather you not use your right arm for the length you are in the sling. You will notice some swelling and…

Flash tuned out the conversation as feelings of guilt washed over him. He couldn't believe he just hurt his best friend. What if it had been worse? He couldn't bear the thought of it. Aero was everything to him. Glancing at her, another feeling took over, ardor. The desire to do everything he could to help her recover was overwhelming. When she was laying back down he quickly went over and sat down on the bed next to her. Atom walked away to get the pain medicine.

Flash didn't know what to say. He sat stiffly on the bed.

"Flash, relax, it's not that big a deal." She patted his hand. "I promise."

* * *

"It appears Lightray has been missing for over three months. "J'onn focused on the information that sat in front of him on the desk. He looked up for a minute as he heard a bat fly overhead. Then he picked up one of the papers and stared at the center of the page. "If he is missing and presumed dead we need to consider this of highest priority. There is only one way to kill immortals. I fear if he is dead, then no one of us is safe."

"I know." Bruce stood up from his chair. "But I also don't want everyone to go into a panic over this if we find out this is nothing. What new information have you found, if any?"

"I don't know any particulars, but after looking over the profiles of Lightray, Triumph and Moon Maiden it appears they were all on missions in Africa. It seems they had each gotten sent there to help resolve issues between warring factions. Curious though, they each got similar calls for help but not at the same time. Mood Maiden has been missing the longest, so I assume her message came about five months ago."

"I found the same thing. But I couldn't find where exactly the call came from. That information wasn't in any of the files."

"Interesting." J'onn stood up and walked over to the large computer in the room. He tapped a few things into it and a big map of Africa appeared on the screen. "Is there any way to get a reading on the signal?"

"I haven't been able to yet, but there a few other things I was going to try."

"Even if we can get a reading within a 100 miles that would be helpful."

Bruce ran his hand through his hair, deciding what to say next. "I think we need to put together an undercover mission to determine what is really going on, so we can stop it."

J'onn looked over at him, with a blank expression on his face. "I sense you already know who you want to use." Bruce nodded. "Should we alert the League if we are to plan a mission?"

Bruce shook his head. "I still don't think that would be wise. The fewer people who know about the mission, the better."

"That seems a wise decision."

"And as soon as I can get a location, we will start."

"Who have you chosen to go?" J'onn asked.

"Aero."

* * *

Maya walked next to Flash as they headed towards the cafeteria. "Then a big banana came out of nowhere and started jumping on my head." She rolled her eyes as she waited for Flash to respond.

"Uh huh, that's nice." Flash said inattentively.

"Flash you aren't listening to me." Displeasure obvious in her voice.

He blinked a few times then looked at Maya. "Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say?"

Maya stopped walking. Flash walked a few steps ahead, then noticed she was no longer walking with him. He turned around and walked back to her. She looked at him, annoyed. "You have been like this for days now. We never go out anymore. If I see you it's here at the Watchtower and I feel like you are miles away from here. Are you interested in me anymore because I feel like I am wasting my time."

Flash put his head down in defeat. "I know I'm sorry."

"Is that all you can say?"

Flash nodded apologetically. Maya put her hand on his cheek. "Flash you are a great guy, but I can tell you aren't as into me as I am into you. I have felt that way since we started going out, but I thought that feeling would pass. But it is obvious to me now that it's true." She paused, willing herself to calm down. "Look don't feel bad. I had fun." She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I will see you around." Maya walked a few steps away then turned back, winked at Flash then walked away leaving him in a state of confusion.

He finally gets a girl and he ends up screwing it up. Feeling discouraged he walked up to the spot in the Watchtower that always helped him to think. As he leaned up against the window he saw his reflection in the glass. Even under his mask he could tell he looked tired and worn out. He couldn't get the guilt of hurting Aero out of his head. She was recovering fine, but it was hard for him to face her without feeling like he let her down. Since the incident two days ago, he replayed it a dozen times in his head. He tried to be positive about it but he couldn't shake the thought of Aero being in pain, especially because of him. And now he had the extra guilt of hurting Maya on his shoulders. Although he didn't feel too bad about that. They weren't serious. As he thought about it, what Maya had said was right. He was never into her as much as he could tell she was into him. There was always something there keeping him from getting close to her.

As he gazed at the stars his mind drifted back to Aero. He wanted to do more to help her, but only time would heal the wounds. Despite being in a lot of pain she had been super positive and happy. Flash smiled as he remembered her comforting him soon after she was treated. She had to be the most amazing woman he had ever met. There was so much life in her and she rose to any challenge put before her. He admired her for that. His habit was to shrink away from things that seemed to difficult. But Aero made him want to be a better man.

Aero. The answer had been there all along. Aero was the reason that he had been keeping Maya at a distance. How did he not see that? He was with Aero every day, how could he not realize how he really felt about her?

* * *

"Come in Mr. Wayne and Mr. J'onzz." The butler opened the door wide enough for both men to enter the foyer.

"Both Mr. Queen and Miss Preston are waiting for you in the office." They nodded to the butler and made their way over to the room.

Inside the office Oliver was sitting at the desk in front of the computer. Preston was standing behind him leaning over his shoulder. They were both staring at the computer screen and laughing. When they noticed Bruce and J'on come in they calmed down. "Sorry you caught us watching the most hilarious video. It has these guys on it that…"

"Oliver we need to have a serious talk with you and Preston." J'onn interrupted. Oliver and Preston looked at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces. "Preston, I suggest you sit down."

"Ok J'onn. Bruce what is this all about?" Preston sat down in the chair next to Oliver and motioned for the men to sit in the chairs across from them.

Bruce exchanged looks with J'onn before proceeding to talk. "A few months ago I noticed a retired member of the Justice League had gone missing. At the time I thought it was unusual but didn't look into it any further. Well since then two others have been reported missing as well."

"Bruce and I were alarmed by this, so we started to investigate it. At first we found no obvious connections to them except that they all had super powers. Then we found that right before they were reported missing they had all received a call for help from somewhere in Africa." J'onn took a file folder out of a bag he was carrying and placed it in front of Preston. "This is the information we have on the superheroes that are gone. Unfortunately for now this is all the information we have."

Preston picked up the folder and opened it up to look at its contents. She opened it wide enough so that Oliver could see what was inside.

"Lightray is missing? This is really serious then. Does the rest of the League know?" Oliver's voice was thick with concern.

"We have chosen to keep the information quiet for now. J'onn and I agree that it is for the best."

"Then why share it with us?" Oliver looked up at Bruce, an almost hostile look on his face. Oliver knew how Bruce thought and he knew what was coming next.

"Oliver you have known me a long time, so you know I already have a plan to find and locate these superheroes. Or at least find out what has happened to them, so we can prevent it from happening to anyone else." Bruce paused for a moment before he went on. He knew his next words had to be chosen carefully otherwise he could end up making Oliver very angry. "We want to send someone in under cover. Before we do that, J'onn and I are going to pinpoint the exact location that the calls for help came in from. Then we want someone to go in and stay in the area and gather all the information they can on what is going on."

Preston looked at Bruce wide-eyed, realization clear on her face. "You want me to go."

J'onn nodded. Bruce stood up and moved over to Preston. She turned her chair to face him, still in shock. He knelt down and grabbed the sides of her chair. He lifted her chin up so he could look in her in the eyes. "Preston, this is a very important mission and I know you can do it. You were the first person I thought of for it. You are brave and have a lot of courage. But you are also very approachable and that is one of the biggest qualities someone who is going on this mission needs. We need you to blend in with the populous. The people need to trust you enough to tell you things. You are perfect for that. But, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. This is a dangerous mission. You would have minimum to no contact with us and to be honest we don't know what we are sending you into."

Preston stared blankly at Bruce as he talked.

Oliver stood up furiously. "How could you even think of sending her into danger like that?"

J'onn stood up and put his hand on Oliver's shoulder. "We will not send her unless she wants to go. But we need to investigate this, and she would be the best person to send. When you have a mission of this importance you want to send your best. Would you not agree?"

"Why does the best have to be my little girl?" Oliver's face was starting to turn red.

Preston, after taking all the information in, stood up and faced Oliver. "Ollie, this is a great opportunity for me. And I am flattered to be considered for this. And you know Bruce. He cares about me and if there was any other way to do this, he would have found it already." She turned to Bruce. "Am I right? This is the only option you have, correct?"

"Yes. J'onn and I came up with several other ideas, but this is the only one that will work. Oliver if there was anyone else or any other way, I wouldn't hesitate."

Oliver took a deep breath in and then let it out. "I know. But look," He looked down at Preston and put his hands on her shoulders, "I don't want you to make the decision tonight. Do me a favor and look over the information and really think about this."

Preston nodded in agreement. "I will. And I promise if I go, I will come back. I can't live without you, you know that. " She winked at Oliver then gave him a hug. They stood like that for a minute or two, not noticing that J'onn and Bruce had left the room.

* * *

Aero stood on the upper deck of the Watchtower, gazing out the window at the stars, deep in thought. If she decided to go away and do the mission she could be helping her fellow superheroes. But it was a lot to take on. She would be away from home, the Watchtower and of course Flash and she had no idea for how long. The part she was most worried about was the unknown. She had no idea what had happened to the three superheroes who disappeared. They could be missing or worse, they could have gotten killed. If it was the latter, she could be walking into a horribly dangerous situation. Was she ready for that?

As she continued to contemplate the situation she heard footsteps behind her. She quickly turned her head around to see Flash walking up to stand beside her. Her face creased with worry.

"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well? How is your arm?" As he asked he gently took the sling off her arm and examined it. "It looks ok, is it hurting?"

His touch made her shiver. Aero put the sling back over her shoulder. "I'm not in any pain. My arm is ok. I was just," She paused. "Thinking about some things." She reached out and rubbed Flash's arm reassuringly. As she did she started to blush, so she quickly put her head down and slowly moved her hand away.

What she didn't notice was Flash's cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink. As soon as she removed her hand from his arm, goosebumps immediately appeared in the spot she had touched.

That touch made Aero realize how much she wanted to be with Flash. But she knew if there was something out there that was threatening superheroes there was always going to be the danger of her never seeing him again. She decided right then that she was going to go on the mission. The mission that could mean the lives of everyone she held close to her heart.


	5. Chapter 4

**Won't deny, I just want you by my side  
Who would've thought that I'd be  
Be so incomplete with just me**

"Is there a secure place we can talk?" Aero whispered so only the man walking next to her could hear.

Batman shook his head. "Give me an hour. Meet me in the infirmary." He stepped a little closer to her. Making sure no one was around, he lightly pinched her elbow in an encouraging manner, then turned away and walked back towards the infirmary.

Just as she was about to go find Flash, Aero heard her name being called over the loud speaker. "Aero please report to the transporter for assignment." Duty called, and after being off duty for a few weeks she would take anything she could get.

* * *

"How did it go?" Batman motioned for Aero to follow him into the surgical area of the infirmary then closed the door.

"Captain Boomerang has to be one of the easiest villains to take down. No wonder Flash gets bored fighting him. Took us about ten minutes before he gave up. Booster wanted to interrogate him then take him back to Iron Heights." Aero shrugged and lowered her voice. "In comparison to what I am about to do, everything seems easy I guess." Aero thought about her own insecurities, all her past battles and her relationships, and how it all seemed simpler then the mission she was about to embark on.

She could see Batman raising his eyebrow questioningly under his mask. "So, you have made your decision?"

Aero moved closer to him and stood up a little straighter, trying to appear more confident. "Yes. I want to do everything I can to prevent anyone else from going missing or getting hurt. And I want to prove your confidence in me is not misguided."

"Aero," Batman put his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her. "I want you to be really sure about this."

"I am."

A twinge of sadness hit Batman, but he pushed it aside and replaced it with his sense of duty. "Alright. When we are ready to send you, I will let you know. We still have a few things to figure out. Make sure you do not tell anyone about this."

"Noted. Include Ollie in that, I haven't told him yet. I haven't found the right time," she paused. "Or the right words." She stared blankly for a few seconds then focused on Batman again. "I will let you know when I tell him." At that Aero hugged Batman and walked out of the surgical room, feeling like a thousand pounds had just been placed on her shoulders.

* * *

On the upper deck of the Watchtower, leaning on a bar and staring out at the stars, Flash chuckled to himself. He always did that when he was nervous or thinking about something important. This time it was both.

He and Aero had been best friends for a few years now and he wasn't sure if he wanted to ruin that. She understood him, laughed at his many jokes and antics, but most importantly he felt more comfortable with her then with anyone else. And she made him want to better himself. Those same reasons were the ones that made him fall in love with her. He wasn't sure when this had happened, but he was sure that for the first time ever, he was in love. This was hard for him to believe especially since he didn't even know what she really looked like. Who she was under the mask. But he didn't care. He knew that she was the most beautiful person he had ever known.

"But do you breach the friendship by revealing your feelings not knowing if she feels the same, or do you concede and decide you are happy being by her side forever as a friend?" Flash only talked to himself when he was about to make a big decision. And he knew the first step in telling her how he really felt was revealing who he really was. Showing her his life outside the Watchtower. Showing her what he really looked like.

He wasn't nervous about his looks, after all most women found him rather dashing, for a red head. As he was checking himself out in the glass, Aero approached and stood next to him. She let out a big sigh and closed her eyes.

"Let's stand here for as long as possible, just enjoying each other's company." She placed her head on his shoulder.

"I was actually thinking of something different." He patted her on the head then turned to face her. When she looked back at him she could see a renewed glimmer in his eyes. "Come to Central City tomorrow. No costumes."

Aero's breath caught in her throat and her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. She could feel the warmth rising in her cheeks. "Really? " She was nervous, but excited. Seeing Flash outside of the Justice League? Outside of his costume? She had no doubt in her mind she would like how he looked. Since the first time they met in the cafeteria, she has had a picture of him in her head, a picture of what he looked like underneath the mask. But would he feel the same way about her? She mustered up courage to reply. "Ok. What time?"

Flash could sense the nervousness in her voice. "9 am Café Jitters. That way we can spend the day together." He looked down at her face, her cheeks were a little pink and he could see a little tension in her white eyes, but she was smiling brightly. He reached his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. As he pulled away regretfully, he kept hold of her right hand. "See you tomorrow." He slowly let go of her hand as he walked away.

When Flash was out of sight, Aero finally let out a breath. While he was holding onto her she couldn't manage to get one single breath out. It felt amazing to be that close to him. And being with him all day tomorrow was more than she could have ever hoped for. She knew this might be the last time she would have this kind of time with him, so she was planning to enjoy tomorrow to the fullest extent possible.

* * *

As soon as Preston opened the door to the mansion she started shouting for Dinah, excited to tell her about her plans. When she finished searching the fifth room for her, she realized Dinah must be out. She slowed her pace. When she did, the thoughts of her upcoming mission popped into her head, the stuff she couldn't tell Dinah about. Part of the elation she was feeling about having the time with Flash was coupled with the nervousness and trepidation of the mission. She didn't think she could tell Dinah about one thing, without revealing her emotions about the other. The decision was not an easy one, but she decided to keep the day with Flash to herself. Part of her was happy about that, because it would be something that just the two of them would share.

* * *

"Oliver, I have been torn about whether I should tell you this or not." Dinah reached for her husband's hand across the small table they were sitting at in their favorite restaurant.

Oliver raised his eyebrows and chuckled a little. He held onto Dinah's hand firmly. "This must be serious, you are calling me Oliver."

"It is, but I think it's a good thing. I hope you do to. But I have been debating about telling you because you are so over protective of Preston."

At the mention of Preston's name Oliver straightened up. He was trying to forget about the mission that Bruce had asked her to go on, he didn't know if he could bear any other news about her.

"Oliver are you ok?" Dinah noticed him tense up and squeezed his hand consolingly.

He tried to hide the obvious emotion written on his face. "Yeah. Just being an overprotective dad I guess. Might as well give me the news."

"Ok. Preston is in love."

Oliver's mouth dropped. That was the last thing he was expecting to hear. He was thankful he had not just taken a sip of water, because when he heard that he would have spit it out all over the table. "What?"

Dinah smiled. "Preston, your little girl, is in love. But she hasn't told him yet. And I have to say I don't blame her for being in love with him. He is a little goofy and obnoxious, but he reminds me a lot of you. That is probably why she loves him."

"Wait, it isn't…" Oliver let go of Dinah's hand. "Who is she in love with?"

* * *

Normally when Preston was excited about something she moved quickly, but today the butterflies she felt in her stomach were a little overwhelming and made her a bit jittery. This caused her to move slower than usual. That and she wanted this day to last as long as possible. Although she knew that moving slower wouldn't change how many hours in the day there was, she wanted to savor every moment. So when she approached Café Jitters, she was doing so at a leisurely pace, allowing herself to take everything in. When she looked toward the entrance she saw him. She had no doubt in her mind this man who stood about twenty feet from her was The Flash. He was tall and muscular. His red hair was done in a short spiky style and his cheeks were covered in brown freckles.

A second after she saw him, he happened to glance her way and a warm smile covered his face. It was then that Preston had noticed his striking green eyes. When in costume, his mask made his eyes impossible to see, yet somehow she knew they were stunning.

* * *

As he stood in front of the Café, he kept his mind occupied by looking around at the people in his city. He was glad he had chosen to take up the Flash mantle so he could help as many people as he could. When Barry Allen had asked him if he wanted the job he didn't hesitate to take it, and he hasn't had one regret since he started. And now, waiting for Aero to arrive, he was especially thankful he made that decision because he knew if he hadn't become the Flash he would have never met her.

He looked around and glanced someone in the corner of his left eye. He turned to look at her and all he could do was smile. There she was. Her light brown hair, which was normally up in a ponytail when she was in costume, was down. It had a slight wave to it and it went all the way down to her elbows. She was very petite, which sometimes he forgot because of her big personality. He thought she looked good in her costume, which was tight and showed a lot of skin but in the t-shirt and jeans she was wearing, he had never seen her look more beautiful.

He started walking towards her, his smile seeming to get bigger. As he got closer he stuck out his hand, "Hi. I'm Wally West."

Preston giggled a little and held her hand out to shake his. "I'm Preston Queen."

"Nice Flash shirt," Wally winked at her and beamed with pride over the fact that she had a shirt that represented him. He knew that he meant a lot to her, but that up'd the ante quite a bit. He held out his arm for her to take and she placed her small hand in the crook of his elbow. They walked into the café together. Wally led her up to the counter and ordered two iced mochas. Then they sat down in a small booth. They stared at each other, not being able to think of anything to say.

"Ok one of us has to say something." Preston sighed dramatically, trying to break the nervousness she knew they both felt.

"Sorry, this is a little weird. Really great, but weird." As he said that the coffee was placed on the table and Wally seemed to slurp it down all at once. He grabbed his head quickly wincing in pain. "Yikes, brain freeze!"

Preston looked at his contorted face and couldn't help but laugh. Even though she was in love with the man that sat in front of her, first and foremost he was her best friend. As he rubbed the roof of his mouth with his tongue furiously, this reminded her of that and she felt more at ease.

"Is it gone? Maybe next time don't be the doofus who drinks all that cold liquid in five seconds." Preston raised her eyebrow in a knowing manner.

Wally laughed and rubbed his forehead a little. "I know. You know me, I am constantly having to work on slowing down." He looked at her questioningly.

"What?"

"Hey, I thought you said your eyes were white?" Wally stammered a little. "Not that I don't think they aren't beautiful brown eyes." His cheeks were tinted with slight hint of pink.

Preston couldn't hide the blush that crept up into her own cheeks. She leaned in so she could whisper to him. "They are white. But I wear contacts, so I can look normal."

"Got it. Anything else I should know about your 'normal' look?"

"No everything else is the same. Nothing special." She looked down at her hands laying in her lap.

Wally couldn't help but think how wrong she was. Everything about her was special and her super powers were not the main things that qualified her as such. He wanted to tell her that. But he also knew there was a line he wasn't ready to cross yet. He was scared to cross it, because once he did there was no going back.

"Well if normal was what you were going for, you kind of failed." He said with a ho hum attitude.

Preston reached her hand across the table and slapped his arm. "Hey."

Wally mockingly rubbed the spot where she slapped him. "Ouch. I need that arm later." They both laughed. Wally stood up. "Alright, time to go."

"What are we doing today?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." He winked at her as they walked out of the Café.

* * *

"The Keystone Annual Carnival?" Preston asked, sounding amused.

"Yeah why not? I come every year and I thought you might enjoy it." Wally puffed his chest out proudly as he saw the look of joy on Preston's face.

"I have never been to a carnival before!"

"Doesn't Oliver take you anywhere?"

Preston hit Wally on the shoulder playfully. "Yes, but this isn't really his kind of thing."

"Well what are we waiting for let's go!" Wally grabbed onto Preston's hand and they ran onto the carnival grounds. He led them to the biggest attraction there. Looking down at Preston he raised his eyebrows suggestively. "This roller-coaster has got to be good, it's named the Speedster after all."

Preston bit her lower lip, feeling petrified. Wally didn't seem to notice as he handed the ride attendant their tickets.  
"Go ahead and get in the next car." The attendant ushered them forward into the line queue.

Preston's palms started to sweat, so she quickly put them in her pockets, trying her best to dry them. Although she was trying her best to hide it, she knew she looked scared. Thankfully Wally hadn't seemed to notice yet. As their car came to a quick stop in front of them and the ride gate opened, Preston unknowingly gulped.

Wally looked back at her as he entered the ride car. "Everything ok? You coming?"

Preston glanced around frantically. "Um yeah, yeah." She slowly put one foot in the vehicle then the other. As a bar lowered over her neck and shoulders, she stiffened.

"Seriously are you ok?" Wally reached over and held her hand that was so tightly clamped on to the neck bar that her knuckles were turning white.

"Yeah I'm uh fine."

"Wait, are you scared of roller-coasters?"

Preston nodded her head frantically.

"But you fly. And I have seen what you can do in the air, all kinds of flips and stuff."

"I can't explain it I'm just really scared of these kinds of rides."  
Wally smirked. "Don't worry I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you." He squeezed her hand tighter as the car took off quickly.

* * *

"Thank you for riding that." Wally placed his arm around Preston as they exited the Speedster. He pulled her closer and could feel her shaking. "You ok?"

"You really wanted to do it, so…" She tried to shake off her nervousness without any success.

"Ok I will go on the Ferris Wheel with you because you went on the Speedster with me. Deal?"

Preston nodded. "Ok, I have always wanted to go on one."

As they headed to the Ferris Wheel Preston's nerves started to get to her again, but this time for a different reason. She had watched enough movies to know what could happen on a Ferris Wheel. Most movies portrayed it as a place where you go on a date and emotions and feelings that might be felt between both parties, are brought to the fore. While she knew how she felt about Wally, she wasn't sure she wanted him to reveal his feelings towards her. She didn't feel worthy enough to have her feelings reciprocated by a man who was so unique and wonderful. He was one of the few men she knew who genuinely loved being a superhero. Most of the men in her life enjoyed moments of it, but they did it more out of obligation. Wally was different. He lived to be a superhero and he was one because it was the right thing to do. That attitude had been a huge motivation to Preston over the years and she tried to live the same way that Wally chose to. And even though Wally was often hot headed, he was the most kindhearted and genuine person she knew. Those qualities were the main reason she found herself in love with him now. But she needed to keep those feelings in check.

Preston took a few deep breaths to calm herself as they entered their seats on the Ferris Wheel. The bar closed in front of them and they both looked at each other and smiled nervously. Preston hadn't noticed she was clutching onto Wally's leg firmly as the wheel suddenly jerked to life and moved them up towards the top of the wheel.

Wally smiled to himself. To know that Preston looked to him to protect her made him more then a little thrilled. He knew she was more then able to handle anything herself, but to be able to be a source of strength to the woman he loved was gratifying. He scooted closer to her. Her hand relaxed as the car moved gently to the top of the wheel.

"So, is it everything you thought it would be?"

She smiled timidly. "To be honest, I thought it would be a bit smoother of a ride."

Wally laughed. He stole a moment to look at Preston. Strands of her hair were lightly brushing her face as the ride moved them higher up into the sky. Every few moments should would lean over the bar and glace down at the ground below them, then she would look up to the sky. A smile of contentment formed on her face. Wally reached over and brushed one of the strands of hair behind her ear. She looked up at him, her eyes wide. His mind could still not wrap around the fact that they were finally here with each other, as a man and woman and not as superheroes.

"This is amazing!"

"What is?"

"Seeing everything from up here." Preston took her eyes off Wally and started looking around again.

"But you see things from this view all the time."

"Not really. When I'm flying I'm usually only focused on the fight. I don't take the time to look around and see how beautiful everything is."

Wally's eyes were glued on Preston as he nodded in agreement. But at the moment he could care less about their surroundings. This woman who sat next to him was the most exquisite thing he had ever seen. As their friendship had developed over the years, he had come to know how beautiful of a person she was. She was kind to everyone, very thoughtful and giving. And she made him laugh. That was something very few were able to do. When he realized his true feelings for her, he didn't think that she could get any more beautiful in his eyes. But here she was, for all intent and purposes she looked like an average brown haired, brown eyed, petite woman, but to Wally she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And she had chosen to be his friend. His best friend.

"Wally?"

"Hmm?" He answered her, still lost in his thoughts.

"What is it?"

He looked at her confused. "Huh?"

"I asked where your favorite place to run is."

Bringing himself back to the moment, it took him less then a second to answer her. "Anywhere. I love to run. It's an adrenaline rush but it also is a release for me. When I'm not running to fight crime, I use it to clear my head and get my thoughts straight."

"Sounds amazing. I would love to run with you sometime."

Wally look at her with admiration. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean you love it, and I'm your best friend so I want to love what you love." She looked at him sheepishly. "That came out weird. You know what I mean right?"

Wally couldn't answer her. He was in awe. No one had ever wanted to do something like that for him before. Sure, he had Barry and Jay who could understand what it felt like to run full speed and lose yourself in the moment. But to have someone who wasn't a speedster want to experience that? He didn't know what to say. His heart swelled.

"Anyway, it sounds amazing. I don't really have anything like that." Except for you. Preston wanted to tell him that so badly. The feeling he said he got when he ran was the way she felt every time she was with him. She felt contentment and peace. It was a feeling she wished she could bottle up and take with her. At that, her mind drifted to her upcoming mission. With the thought of having to leave Wally, her face dropped. She didn't want him to see so she immediately tried to think of something else.

"Oh look." She pointed down toward the ground. Wally followed her line of sight to see they were almost done with the ride. "What do we do next?"

As they neared the end of the ride, Wally sat back and enjoyed the last few moments of it. He pushed himself closer to Preston feeling her body's heat on his own. He breathed in her perfume, which smelled like fresh cut apples mixed with a little pear.

Too soon the ride was at an end. As Wally held his hand out to help Preston out of the Ferris Wheel seat he looked at her disappointed.

"What is it?"

He glanced down at his watch. "I'm sorry I hate to do this, but Flash promised to help out at the carnival today."

Preston smiled up at Wally. "Really? What is he doing?"

Wally looked down, embarrassment etched onto his face. "The kissing booth."

A loud chuckle escaped Preston's lips.

"What? Flash helps out every year at the carnival. The proceeds of the ticket sales go to the Keystone Orphanage. And the kissing booth happens to bring in the most money…." He trailed off feeling ashamed.

"I bet it does. Go, go. Flash shouldn't be late."

"It will only be for an hour, I promise!" He yelled back at her as he ran towards the game area of the carnival.

Preston decided to wander around a little by herself. After only a few minutes her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to head over to the other side of the carnival and find the kissing booth.

* * *

"Ok ladies, no pushing or shoving please. Just form a line here behind the sign." Flash sighed anxiously as he directed the small crowd of women that was forming at the kissing booth. This was literally the last thing he wanted to do right now. If he hadn't volunteered to do this over a year ago, he would have rather chosen to help with balloon animals instead. But once he made a promise, he kept it, no matter what.

To make matters worse, he actually told Preston that he was about to kiss a bunch of different women. He smacked his head with the palm of his hand. "Smart move Wally." He muttered under his breath. "Alright let's just get this over with." He rushed to stand behind the booth as the first woman came up with her ticket to give him a kiss.

* * *

Preston looked around in astonishment. She wasn't sure what she should be feeling as she looked at the large line of women that was forming to get a chance to kiss The Flash. Even though she knew jealousy was what anyone in her situation should be feeling, it was farthest from her thoughts. This was the side of Wally she would never tire of seeing. He loved people so much that he willingly sacrificed time and effort to be able to make them happy. Preston knew he would do that for anyone who asked it of him. And she knew that most everyone who knew The Flash, knew that's the kind of guy he was. That's why he had all these women here today, because they saw the same thing that Preston saw, kindness and humility.

As she watched him interact with the crowd, Preston couldn't help the smile that came to her face. There were no words to describe the depth of her love for him at that moment.

"Ms. Organa, how are you? Did Mopsey come home from the vet yet?" Flash would chat with each person before he gave them a quick kiss on the lips. He knew something about every single person who stepped up to kiss him.

Preston was amazed. She had never really seen him interact with civilians, especially not in his hometown. When they fought together for the League the villains were usually a threat to earth's security, not small-town security. So, she had never seen this side of him. It endeared him to her more then ever.

Biting her lip out of anxiousness, she mustered up all the courage she had and got in the very back of the line. While waiting in line she went back and forth over the foolishness of what she was doing.

"No, Preston you need to do this. But, what if this ruins everything? If you don't do it now you might never get the chance." She realized she looked slightly crazy muttering to herself while she fiddled around with a string hanging from her shirt.

"Are you nervous to kiss him to sweetie?" An older woman who was waiting in line in front of Preston had turned around to comfort her.

"Huh? Oh yeah." Was she nervous? That was the understatement of the century.

"Well don't be." The older woman patted Preston's hand. "I come every year to this carnival just to get a chance to kiss The Flash. I don't do it because I think he's cute, or handsome," she lowered her voice. "Even though I'm sure he is under the mask." She smiled at Preston and continued. "I do it as a thank you. He does so much for this city and he doesn't get enough appreciation for that. So, if I can give him something, even a small peck, its my way of saying 'Flash thank you for being you.'"

Preston's heart jumped in her chest. She reached out and gave the woman a hug. "Thank you." All the fear and anxiousness she had going into this was now replaced by sincere admiration and pride.

* * *

"Flash you have one last one." The attendant for the booth whispered in his ear. He nodded at her, his lips a bit chapped and sore. Letting out a sigh, he motioned for the last woman to come up to the booth. He had seen so many people today that he wasn't completely aware of the person who now stood before him.

"So, how do we do this?"

Sudden recognition shown on his face as she spoke. The solemn look he had been wearing turned to one of wistful longing as he looked up at the girl who stood before him. He shot up from his seat and moved to the front of the table.  
Now looking down at her, a playful smile on his face he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I paid to get a kiss from The Flash." Preston hadn't realized she was holding her breath as he stood next to her.

Flash placed his hands on Preston's arms, slowly caressing them. Then he moved them down to her hands, holding both in his own. He took a deep breath in and slightly tilted his head, inching it closer to hers.

Preston could not remember a time when her heart beat heavier in her chest. She held her breath again as she quickly glanced up at Flash, who's lips were getting ever closer to hers. Her small stature would not allow her to reach him easily, so with one decisive thought, she closed her eyes, stood on her tip toes and closed the distance between them.  
She meant the kiss to be quick and calculated, but as soon as she felt his soft, supple lips on hers, it became anything but.

Flash couldn't think straight. Her lips were so smooth and inviting. He let go of her hands and grabbed her waist, pulling her in so their bodies were touching. In that moment Flash felt like he was in a million places at once. But reality kicked in, and with one last swipe of his tongue against hers, he pulled his lips away. Both stood looking at each other, breathless.

"Uh," a woman nearby cleared her throat. "I'm sorry Flash but I wanted to let you know how much we raised for the orphanage today and to thank you for your contribution."

Flash reluctantly tore his gaze away from Preston. "Oh of course. You know I love helping the people of Keystone." He shook her hand and then turned around only to find Preston was gone. He smiled back at the woman then made his way out of the kissing booth and back onto the carnival grounds.

Making sure no one was around, he quickly changed out of his costume. Then he immediately looked around for Preston. After a few minutes of not being able to find her, worry crept up into his mind. Should he have kissed her? Did he just ruin the best thing in his life?

Wally had meant to just give her a small, quick kiss on the lips. But as soon as their lips touch, he allowed his emotions to take over. He had no idea how long they had kissed. Often when he ran, he did it so fast that it seemed like everything around him was frozen in time. That's what the kiss felt like. Time seemed to move so slowly, and Wally hadn't wanted it to end.

As he walked toward the exit of the carnival, he spotted her. Preston was sitting on a bench, holding on to something. He approached the bench and sat down beside her. "Hey."

"Hey." Neither could look at each other. They both ended up looking down at their shoes.

"Where did you go?"

"Oh I went to go get us some cotton candy." As if to make her point, Preston held the pink cloud of candy up. That's when their eyes met. They both blushed then Preston put her head down. "It's part of the whole carnival experience."

Wally chuckled. "That's true. But don't eat it yet. I don't want you to get sick."

Preston looked back up at him, her eyes finding his. They stared at one another for just a moment before she asked, "Why would I get sick?"

"Because you have never broken the speed of sound before and it can be a bit disorientating."

Preston's eyes grew wide as she realized what Wally meant. "Really?!"

Wally couldn't help the large smile that appeared on his face. He nodded then stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and in an instant, they were gone, the cotton candy left on the ground where they stood. **  
**

* * *

As Preston closed the door to the mansion she let out a contented sigh. Then she leaned back against the door and closed her eyes. After a minute she pushed herself away from the door and started to head upstairs.

"Preston, we need you to leave tonight." Preston looked back at two men walking out from the living room. How did she not hear them there?

J'onn stepped forward and handed her a folder. "Here is your passport with your new identity on it along with information about a job we have set up for you."

"We need you to gather any information you can and get it to us immediately. Then when we have enough information we will go from there. Are we clear on the mission?" Bruce spoke solemnly.

"Yes. But I haven't had a chance to talk to Ollie yet or say goodbye to anyone." Preston was confused and concerned, she hadn't expected to leave so soon.

"You can tell Oliver tonight, but tell no one else. And Oliver cannot know where you are going." The seriousness in Bruce's voice worried Preston.

She groaned. "Ok I won't tell Ollie where I am going. But will you give me a few hours to go and tell Flash I mean Wally?"

Both J'onn and Bruce looked at each other. Bruce knew how much Wally meant to Preston and vice versa. And he figured soon they would both realize how deep their feelings ran for one another. So with a heavy heart he replied, "No, Wally especially should not be told. You have one hour to pack and talk to Oliver. Meet us outside when you're done."

Preston looked dejected. "Where am I going?"

"Banjul Africa."


	6. Chapter 5

" **Cause I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away"**

"Ollie, where did she go? I haven't heard from her or seen her in over a week." Wally paced back and forth in the foyer of the Queen mansion.

Oliver Queen looked at the man in front of him with sadness. He could tell Wally was really frustrated and hurt. Oliver could feel as sorry for him as he wanted but he still couldn't give him the answer he was looking for. "Wally, come in and sit down, have some tea."

Wally could see a look of sympathy in Oliver's eyes, and he took that as a bad sign. "No. Just be honest with me."

Oliver sighed. "To be honest, I don't know where she is. She only left me a note saying she would be out of town for a while. That's all I know." He was mostly telling the truth.

About half an hour before she left, Preston had told him she had decided to go on Bruce's mission. He didn't know what to think. He was upset she hadn't told him sooner, but at the same time his heart was filled with pride that his little girl had the courage to do this. After a week of pondering over it, he decided he was glad he hadn't known sooner or he would have tried to talk her out of it. Because he didn't know how long she would be gone, he had to tell Dinah. The only thing he told her was that Preston was on a mission. Dinah understood and fully supported the idea. Oliver wished he could be as strong as that, but he hated not having Preston nearby. He realized in just the week she had been gone that he had become a very overprotective father.

Now standing before him was the man who he knew Preston was in love with and with whom she shared everything. But Oliver wasn't allowed to tell him anything. The decision to keep Wally in the dark, it sounded like something Bruce had stipulated when Preston had agreed to go on the mission. He wished he could do or say something to make the worry on Wally's face go away. Oliver had known the man long enough to know exactly how he was feeling.

Wally had a habit of jumping to conclusions and not thinking things through all the way. Oliver supposed that was because he was used to doing everything fast. The man couldn't help it, he was one of the fastest men alive. And from the moment Dinah had told him about Preston's true feelings for Wally, Oliver knew that Wally felt the same for Preston. Looking at him now, he knew that Wally assumed Preston's leaving was somehow because of him and nothing Oliver could tell him would change that.

"Look, Oliver, I know you are telling me the truth. I just need to know she is ok. I just need to know she didn't leave because of me." Wally put his head down in disappointment.

"I'm sure she is fine," even Oliver could hear the doubt in his own voice. He hoped Wally wouldn't pick up on it. "But I am positive she didn't leave because of you."

Wally looked up at him and nodded. "Well if you hear anything, please let me know." With that, Wally was gone. Oliver sighed loudly in frustration.

* * *

A red light blinked on the console in front of Batman. He pushed a few buttons and the big screen in front of him came on revealing a picture of a bald headed green man. After pushing a few more buttons, the man began to talk.  
"Line secure on my end." Martian Manhunter said with confidence.

"My line is always secure." Batman smugly answered. He saw Martian Manhunter raise his eyebrow knowingly and that brought a slight smirk to his face. "Proceed."

"Have you received any communication from Aero yet?"

"Yes, it seems she will be sending the messages via postcard. Right before she left we agreed that she send intel every two weeks. I just finished deciphering the message. She found most everyone speaks English. Her apartment is small but satisfactory. Most of the vendors and others she has met and talked to mostly like to talk about their families, but she has heard that there is a new company in town that might be set up right outside the city. For now that is all the information she can give. Seems it takes a little while for the natives to warm up to strangers."

"Any information is good. It's more then we have. At least we know we have sent her to the right area." Martian Manhunter seemed to input something onto the keyboard in front of him. "I will log that in our findings. We will speak again soon."

* * *

Wally tapped his fingers on the table in front of him. His patience was wearing thin. Normally he wasn't this bad, but his current situation was making him feel even more impatient then normal. He sighed with relief when he saw a brown-haired woman open the door to the restaurant and walk toward him.

"Wally, why do you like this place? I can't think of any restaurant that has food with any less nutritional value then Giuseppe's Kitchen. I know you have a high metabolism, but you still need to eat good food." She sat down across the table from him. After she sat, she focused on his face for a minute and could immediately tell he had something on his mind. "Wally, what's wrong?"

"Iris, I just need someone to talk to." Wally reached out and grabbed his aunt's hand. "I don't really have anyone else I can talk to. Well, there is always Dick, but he isn't as sensitive as you. And you know I have always looked to you as more of a sister then my aunt."

Iris nodded. "Alright, you know I am always here for you. Let's order some coffee first, they do have good coffee here." She called the waitress over and ordered two coffees. After about a minute, the coffee was poured into the cups that were already on the table. Iris stirred some cream into hers as Wally began to talk.

"It took me a long time, but I finally realized how much I care about Aero."

Iris took a sip of coffee, unfazed. "You love her."

"You knew?" Wally gaped.

"Barry and I were wondering if you were ever going to realize it for yourself. For one of the fastest men alive, you sure are slow on the uptake. Plus from everything you and Barry have said about her, she is perfect for you. I can't wait to meet her. Finally, another woman to talk to." Iris smiled softly.

Wally's surprised face turned into a frown. "That's the problem. We finally met, I mean in person. After three years of only knowing her only as Aero, I finally met her, Preston. We spent a whole day together. I didn't want to ruin our friendship, so I didn't tell her how I felt. We just spent the day as friends. But something unexpected happened. We kissed. I don't know if it was a real kiss or not. I mean she paid to kiss me."

Iris looked at him confused. "Wait what? I'm lost."

"Flash had to work the kissing booth at the carnival. She was my last customer. I don't know how she felt about it but Iris, that kiss was…" he sighed dreamily. "I felt like I was in a million places at once. That's the way I feel when I'm running. And it just feels right."

"Your uncle says the same thing. So, what's the problem?" Iris took another sip of coffee.

"I ran her home after that, we didn't talk about the kiss. But the next day I really wanted to see her, be able to talk to her. But, she wasn't on the Watchtower, and the next few days after that she wasn't either. After a week I was starting to wonder what happened. I knew from our conversations over the years that Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance raised her. So I went to see Oliver. All he told me was that she left. No explanation she just left…" he trailed off.

"Wally, this isn't because of you. I know what you are thinking right now. You are a great guy, and I'm not just saying that because I'm related to you. I love you because you are a kind, wonderful person."

"Yeah but the timing. She left the day after we met after we kissed."

"How long has she been gone?" Iris' face started to show signs of worry.

"Over a month."

Iris didn't mean to, but she let her mouth hang open a little. "What?"

"Yeah so now besides worrying about why she left, now I am worrying if she is ok." Wally sighed.

"Oliver hasn't given you any more information?"

"I know if he had more information he would give it to me. He doesn't know anymore then I do."

"Wow." Iris honestly didn't know what else to say. "You want to come stay with me and Barry for a few days? Might take your mind off things."

Wally shook his head. "No I just needed to tell someone else. Look, don't tell Barry ok? I think the less people that know about this the better."

"But does the League know she is missing? I can't believe they wouldn't notice."

"To be honest, I haven't asked and there are so many people in the League, she might have gone under the radar. But I might mention it to Martian Manhunter, he might be able to use his telepathy to find her."

"That isn't a bad idea. Alright, keep me updated, and never feel that you can't call me. I am always here for you." She stood up, kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair. "I have to get back to work. I will try to dig up anything I can. I might have resources the League doesn't." She winked at him then left the restaurant.

* * *

"Finally she got more information." Bruce thought to himself. He couldn't wait for Aero to finish gathering intel and come home. He never expected her to be gone this long. Four months ago, when he told her she had to leave, he thought the longest she would be gone would be one to two months. He was starting to worry that it would still be at least a few more months before she could come home. Despite his worry, he kept a strong façade. The League still didn't know about the mission. But at this point, he knew some would start to question where Aero was. Thankfully J'onn oversaw the roster. He would ask, when they talked later, what he was telling people if anyone was asking questions about her. Very few knew her outside of the League. And only Oliver and Dinah knew she was on a mission. Wally on the other hand was another problem. Thankfully Wally hadn't thought to come to him yet to ask where Aero was. But he could tell that Wally was worried about her. The fact that he wasn't himself lately didn't escape Bruce's notice. When he initially made the decision to keep Aero's mission from Wally, he thought it was a good choice, but lately he was beginning to rethink it. He straightened his back and stood up. No, he needed to remain firm in that decision and stop second guessing himself. He was already doing that regarding his decision to send Aero on the mission. Bruce took a deep breath in, closed his eyes and let it out slowly. No, he made the right decisions. He was almost sure of it.

"Aero has finally sent some more information." Batman said under his breath as he and Martian Manhunter walked down the hall in the Watchtower toward the command center. "Head toward the computer room. We'll talk there."

The two men took a sharp left and walked into a small room, one they seemed to be meeting in more frequently these days. It was the only room in the Watchtower that was restricted to senior members of the Justice League and the only room that Batman had made completely soundproof. And because he listed paranoia as his one superpower he also had anti-eavesdropping devices installed in the room. Basically it was the only room on the Watchtower that you could have a completely private conversation in. Batman preferred it that way.

Martian Manhunter, closed the door before talking. "What information has she sent?"

Batman sat in the chair in front of the computer screens and brought up a secure file with the code name: Powerless. When the file opened, he began to type into it. "The organization that is there seems to be one for medical research. On the surface it seems like legitimate work but Aero found out the people who are sent there, are ones who are special. She is assuming that means people with powers. The location is still a bit of a mystery. She isn't sure if it's directly outside the city or hidden. The rumors on the location vary. Some say it's a cloaked facility while others think it's underground. But Aero now has a few contacts that will get more information for her."

"That is more information than we could have hoped for."

Batman's doubt began to surface, and he debated telling Martian Manhunter.

Martian Manhunter sensed Batman's feelings and closed his eyes to reach out and find Aero. Although the distance between them was vast, he was able to find her and reach into her mind. "Aero is happy. She feels very proud to have this mission and she is in no immediate danger." He opened his eyes back up and looked down at Batman.

"Does she know you just read her mind?" Batman worried about interrupting the mission, but he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He almost smiled.

"No. I wanted you to know she was ok. I never doubted her ability, or the mission. If I had, you know I would have told you before."

Batman nodded, as if to say, 'thank you.'

"There is only one concern I have. Flash has come to me asking about Aero. He wanted me to find her." The alien stepped back a little and crossed his arms over his chest.  
"I was worried about that. What did you tell him?"

"I said I would try but couldn't find anyone who did not want to be found. It does not please me to lie to him like that." Martian Manhunter, seemed to be saddened by the situation, but his emotions were very hard to read.

Batman wanted to find a way to resolve at least this issue. "I know you will find a way to console him without giving away anything. I never doubt your abilities."

He was slightly taken aback by Batman's compliment. He nodded at the man and left the room, deciding not to bring it to light. As he walked back up to the control room, he could sense Flash approaching from behind him. He closed his eyes for a moment and calmed himself, deciding what to do about this current complication.  
"Flash. What can I help you with?"

Flash stopped in in tracks. It always amazed him that Martian Manhunter could sense he was there. He slowly approached him and walked in step with him. "So, have you found her?" his voice was thick with worry.

"I don't think she wants to be found, otherwise I could reach out to her," while he was saying this he looked into Flash's mind and implanted a thought. He hated to do this, but he needed Flash to think she was fine and not try to find her. "She is fine."

"You're right. Sorry to bother you." Flash smiled at him then walked away.

Martian Manhunter looked down with remorse. He wasn't proud of that. He made the decision right there and then that if this mission continued on much longer, he wouldn't tell Flash the truth, but he wouldn't lie to him either. Invading someone's mind, was just that, an invasion. Normally he wouldn't do it without permission, but he knew he needed Flash to stop looking for her, for the time being. He knew the thoughts he forced on Flash wouldn't last long, but he hoped the mission would be finished by then.

* * *

Oliver pounded on the large door in front of him. The door was made of solid wood, so every time he pounded it, he winced in pain. But for the moment he relished it in. It was almost calming down the anger that was growing inside of him. Almost.

"Bruce, we need to talk, now!" He shouted, despite knowing the mansion was huge and that he probably wasn't being heard. But shouting made him feel better.

The door suddenly opened revealing an older gentleman dressed in a suit. "Mr. Queen, what can I do for you?" Alfred said calmly.

"I need to see Bruce. And I know he is home." Oliver pushed past Alfred into the house.

After he closed the door Alfred walked quickly to catch up to Oliver. "Mr. Queen, if you will, Mr. Wayne is downstairs." Alfred raised his eyebrows in a knowing manner. "Let me show you the way." He led him to a grandfather clock in the study. After he opened the glass door to the clock, he set the time to 10:47. As he shut the door again, Oliver heard a slight hiss and the whole front of the clock moved a few centimeters away from the wall, revealing a door. Alfred motioned for him to go into it. Oliver entered the door and walked down the long staircase. He had only gone through this entrance a few times before, so he walked slowly, a little afraid of what was around each corner of the dark path. He finally made it to the bottom to reveal the command center of the Batcave. Bruce was sitting in front of the large computer that was in the center of the room. He quickly walked over to him.

"We need to have a few words." Oliver said, his voice thick with hostility.

Bruce turned around in his chair and stood up.

"You know I was opposed to Preston going on this stupid mission in the beginning. But I knew because you had asked, she wouldn't say no. Because of my respect for you and my love for her, I allowed her to go. Bruce, that was a year ago now! A year without a word from her, or from you. I have no idea if she is ok. I thought this was going to be a short mission. I would have never let her go if I knew it was going to be this long. Where is she? You need to bring her back now!" Oliver's face was turning a bright red as he continued shouting.

"Oliver. Calm down." Bruce put his hands up in a defensive manner. "She knew when we sent her that we had no idea how long this would take. I didn't send her in as blindly as you think." Even he heard apprehension in his voice as he said this. And he knew Oliver would too.

Oliver stared at Bruce darkly. "You didn't know she would be gone this long either."

Bruce shook his head. "No we didn't. But trust me when I say she is ok."

"How can I put any faith in anything you say? You have kept everyone in the dark. This should have been brought to the League in the beginning. And you didn't even let Preston say goodbye to anyone." Oliver ran his hand over his beard, frustrated. "Have you seen Wally lately? He has no idea what has happened to Preston and all I can tell him is that she is gone. I can't give him any more information. I have never seen him this worried. The boy is getting no sleep. Did you know he is running everywhere just trying to find her, get any information on where she can be? I think he has gone to almost every country in the northern hemisphere already. I have never seen him look so bad. Half the time I see him he has a glazed expression on his face. How could you do this to him?"

Bruce tried not to show the distress and concern he felt at that moment. He honestly had no idea Wally was having that much difficulty dealing with Preston being gone. "Oliver there is nothing I can do about that." He kept his voice monotone, giving the appearance of strength that he was now in doubt that he had.

"Tell him. Tell him where she is and what she is doing." Oliver moved closer to Bruce and gritted his teeth as his spit the next words out. "At least give him a little peace."

"I can't do anything to endanger the mission."

Without thinking Oliver made his hand into a fist and swung at Bruce, hitting him square in the jaw. Bruce stepped back startled and rubbed the spot where he was hit. His hands immediately formed into fists and he clenched his jaw, anger slowing rising in his face. "Oliver if you were anyone else…"

"Don't. Just don't. We are done." With that, Oliver furiously walked away.

* * *

"Bruce, this mission is going on longer than it should. And I don't want to worry you, but I can no longer get a read on Aero."

Both Bruce and J'onn were standing in the study of Wayne Manor. When J'onn had first arrived, Alfred had offered both men a cup of tea. They each turned it down, too anxious and concerned to drink anything.

"I know. And we haven't had word from her in over a month. The last we heard was she started using her powers to attract the attention of anyone who was involved in the organization. She was planning to infiltrate it. I didn't want her to, but she is so strong willed, I am sure she ignored the message I sent her."

"Agreed. I am sure she thought to get more accurate information for us, she needed to be on the inside. Is there no read from the viridium patch? Those have a range of two sectors." J'onn, who's voice was usually flat, making it impossible to tell what he was feeling, sounded worried.

"Nothing. And we won't get a reading on it until it is activated. Are you sure you can't find her anywhere?" Bruce's eyebrows furrowed, and he wore a grave expression on his face.

"I have been trying to reach out to her for over a week now. I can't seem to find her." A hint of hopelessness could be heard in J'onn's response.

Bruce paced back and forth in front of his desk, running his hand on the desktop. He exhaled loudly. "Ok, I have come to a decision. Pick a few League members and brief them on the situation. I want a team prepped and ready to go as soon as we can pick up a read from the patch."

"How much longer do we wait to hear from Preston?"

"We will wait one more week. If we don't hear from her then, we will head out." Bruce said matter-of-factly.

"Agreed." J'onn headed out of the mansion quickly.

Bruce stood by himself in the dimly lit room. He glanced up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. "Please let her be ok." He whispered.


	7. Chapter 6

**Here we stand  
Worlds apart  
Hearts broken in two.  
Sleepless nights  
Losing ground  
I'm reaching for you.**

Preston shifted her head back and forth a little then slowly opened her eyes. As she blinked, she could tell her contacts were no longer in. Whoever had captured her must know she has powers. She put her elbow on the hard surface below her and pushed herself up. As she did that she felt a sharp stabbing sensation in her lower back. The pain she felt made her cringe.

"Unfortunately, they don't handle their prisoners too nicely here. How are you feeling?"

Preston looked to her left to see a costumed figure reaching his hand out to help her. She grabbed his hand and he gently placed his other hand on her back and pushed her back up until she was in a sitting position.

"I think it's just a bruise that's on top of an older injury. I should be ok." After she sat up and got a closer look at the man, she smiled when she recognized who it was. "Don!" She stopped herself, realizing he was in costume. "I mean Dove, how did you get here?"

He looked closely at her eyes. "Aero right? I would recognize your eyes anywhere."

She looked down at her clothes and gathered a bit of her shirt in her right hand, she almost forgot she wasn't in costume. When she looked up she noticed Dove nod in understanding.

"I would imagine my story is similar to yours. Hawk and I received a distress call from a small country in Africa. They needed help settling a dispute with another country. Hawk had another mission, so I came alone. Seems as soon as I landed I was captured."

Preston wasn't sure if she should tell him about her mission or not. "Yeah sounds about right." She lied refusing the compromise the mission in anyway.

Dove could sense her holding something back. He decided not to push it. She was in a strange place, didn't know what was going on, and she had only met him on a few occasions. That was not enough to establish true trust between them. Regardless of that he decided to be nothing but honest with her.

"I don't understand, why are you still Dove? I thought you reverted automatically after some time."

"Normally I do. But I stay in the form of Dove as long as I sense danger. I honestly don't remember being in this form for this long before." He cocked his head trying to think.

"How long have you been here?" His comment brought Preston her first twinge of worry.

"About a month. They have been doing experiments on us here. I mean superheroes, those of us with abilities. They started doing tests on me about two weeks ago. Seems they are testing my healing powers."

Preston reached out and rubbed his arm. "Are you ok? What have they done?"

He put his hand on top of hers and gave her a meaningful expression. "I'm fine. Just a few scars here and there. Thankfully my healing power still works down here." Preston gave him a look of confusion. He continued, "It seems like they have some sort of dampening device set up around the compound. As far as I can tell we are about ten feet or so underground. The device seems to keep us from using our powers. I assume so they don't have to worry about us attacking them or getting free. Odd though, several of my powers are not affected. I figure that is because of the way I received my powers. I wasn't born with them like most of the Justice League. Instead they were bestowed on me by supernatural beings. That's the only thing that I can think of that accounts for me still being in this form."

"Which powers do you still have?" Preston was finally getting information. She had waited a whole year in this place, searching and digging for any information she could get. A little wave of relief swept over her and she felt a small sense of accomplishment. She decided she would wait a little while longer before activating the viridium patch, she wanted to make sure she had all the details she could get.

"Seems I still have my healing power and I can sense emotions around me. And it has allowed me to sense how many others are being held here, and what they are feeling, and when they..." A twinge of sadness could be heard in his voice. "Pass on. I have figured out there are only about six other superheroes here, but that number has gone down rapidly. When I came here there were ten. One of the things the people who run this compound do is test where in the body or what in the body produces the super powers and then they remove them and give them to another person with powers. Little did we know that when someone's power is taken away, the person dies. It seems none of us realized how important our powers were. They are intricate to our very lives, our very being."

Preston sat back in shock. She felt somewhat ashamed. All those years she hated her wings and refused to use them, yet they were as crucial to her life as were her lungs or heart.

Dove scooted over to her. "Don't feel bad. All of us at one time or another despised our powers. I think that is a part of growing up." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"How did you..." as soon as she asked a glint of recognition showed in her eyes.

"One good thing about being able to sense emotion." He winked at her.

"Thanks." She pushed the shame away and focused again. "So, there are six others here, any idea how many people running the compound, or who is running it?"

Dove closed his eyes. He breathed in the stiff air that surrounded him and let himself sense the feelings that were all around the compound. "It's easier to get a read on friendlies but I sense about a dozen other people."

"Any idea who it's run by?"

"That still remains a mystery to me. I can tell every time they have experimented on me that he is in the room, but they have always blind folded me or I have passed out from the pain and I haven't been able to get a look at him. I can tell you he is cruel and inhumane." Dove's temper started to rise, a thick note of contempt could be heard in the last few words he said. He tried to shake it off. "Being here has really shaken me up. I am normally quite at peace, but this place, has a way of disrupting it."

Preston's forehead furrowed, and she gave him a look of sympathy. "I am so sorry. Don't worry I am sure we will be out of here soon."

"You aren't going anywhere "a gruff voice came from outside the cell they were in. Both Dove and Preston's heads quickly jerked up to see a tall, bulky man opening the door. "Girl, you are coming with me." As he said that, he grabbed Preston's arm. Dove grabbed her other hand and squeezed it. She didn't know why but when he did that she felt a sense of strength and peace.

* * *

"This injection should be interesting. We haven't had one in yet that already had telekinesis. So, this test might actually work."

A voice from the other end of the dark room made Preston wake up. The man had a slight British sounding accent and his voice was dark and eerie. Preston tried to see who the man was, but realized her head was covered with a cloth. The only thing she could make out was his shape. He seemed to be of average height and stocky. She could clearly make out the shape of his head, which meant he was probably bald. There was also something that was sitting on his ears which indicated that he wore glasses. He seemed to notice that she had woken up.

"Sorry for the rough treatment my dear but we needed to get you onto the table and you weren't very cooperative."

Preston could tell he was walking closer to her and could see him holding something up with his hands, it looked like a needle. "Trust me when I tell you this will hurt. But no pain no gain as they say."

Preston struggled a little to find that she was fully strapped down. All she could do was wriggle around. After a few seconds she stopped in defeat. She tried to open her mouth, but a large, rough hand immediately clamped down on it. As soon as it did she felt the cold tip of the needle on her neck, then the sting of it piercing her skin. After a second she felt a cold fluid running in the veins of her neck. The liquid from the injection was cold but made her feel like her veins were on fire. She felt like her skin was going to burn off of her. Fear welled up inside of her and for the first time since she started this mission she felt regret. Regret she ever came at all. As these thoughts were going through her head, she felt a hot tear run down her cheek. Suddenly realizing she didn't want to appear weak before these men, so she pushed her fear aside and stiffened up.

"Alright take her back." The stocky man walked away from her into a corner of the room she couldn't see.

* * *

Preston landed hard on the ground of the cell. She sat up and rubbed her shoulder, as she did an intense wave of nausea hit her and she moved to lay back down. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she glanced around the cell only to see that Dove was gone. Worry and doubt began to plague her mind and she let the tears she was holding back fall down her cheeks. She started to feel lightheaded and drowsy so she closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift to Wally. She missed him and wished he was there with her. If she could see him again, she wouldn't give up hope.

Right before she drifted off to sleep, thoughts of Wally filling her head, she remembered the viridium patch. She quickly reached up and tapped behind her right earlobe, activating the patch. It was now only a matter of time before the cavalry would come.

* * *

"Aero, Aero, can you hear me?" Dove gently whispered in Preston's ear and stroked her arm to wake her. Her eyes opened. "You need to drink some water, you are quite pale." He sat her up and picked up a small metal bowl from the ground. Lifting it up to her lips, he gently tipped it, so the water would slowly make its way into her mouth. After she had drunk about half the bowl, he removed it and took a few sips himself.

"Thank you. How long was I asleep?" Preston put her arms behind her to steady herself as she sat.

"I'm not sure. I just came back a few hours ago." As he said this he noticed a bruise on her neck, he leaned in closer to get a better look. "Looks like they gave you an injection. Any idea what of."

Preston shook her head. "It hurt like hell and made me feel like I was on fire. I got a look at the man who is in charge, well in charge of the experiments anyway. I couldn't see his face, but I know he is bald and wears glasses."

Dove sat back and unknowingly started to rub his leg. "Yeah, I saw him this time. It's Hugo Strange. Have you heard of him?" The rubbing seemed to increase in intensity and every time he did it, Dove winced in pain.

Preston grabbed his hand and stopped him. "Why are you doing that? It seems like it's hurting you."

"Huh?" He looked down at his leg curiously. "I don't know." The place where he was rubbing looked swollen, he pulled up his tights to expose the area. It was full of pale red bumps. In the middle of the area was a dark spot.

"Were you awake when they experimented on you?" Preston tore off a piece of fabric from her sleeve and dunked it into the remaining water then placed it on his leg.

"I thought I was, but I don't remember this." Preston noticed apprehension in his voice for the first time.

"What's wrong?"

"I should have healed already." He looked up at her with a look of uncertainty and worry.

"Don't worry, we won't be here much longer."

Dove looked at her, doubt written all over his face. She moved in real close to him so she could whisper. "No really. Batman and Martian Manhunter knew about a few superheroes going missing and sent me to find out what happened to them. When I got back to the cell earlier I activated a transponder. They should be here soon. Please don't give up hope." She pleaded with him.

Dove could only look at her with astonishment. He smiled and kissed her hand. "I won't."

* * *

The next few days passed slowly, or so it seemed to Preston. She was anxious and impatient. Normally if she had these feelings she pushed them away and tried to be more hopeful, but whether it was because of the shot she had received or the overly hopeless situation she seemed to be in, her anxiety was apparent. Since she had activated the transponder, every time she heard a noise or even a footstep she jumped to the door of the cell to see if they were being rescued. She had never imagined that it would take longer than a few hours to respond to the viridium patch.

And Dove, despite being in horrible pain, was more reassuring than ever.

But he didn't need to be able to sense her emotion to know she was getting desperate. Preston couldn't help but be scared. It had been three days and they were still at the mercy of Hugo Strange. Thankfully Dove could still feel six other superheroes in the prison with them. Strange hadn't taken their powers away yet.

Preston needed to focus on something else besides the constant stabbing pain and nausea that she was experiencing. She knew exactly what to focus on.

There he was standing in front of the café, his spiky red hair barely moving in the breeze, his freckle covered cheeks slightly pink from being out in the sun and his striking green eyes picking her out almost immediately. She replayed the smile that rose on his face as soon as he saw her, over and over. Even if she tried her best, she could never forget meeting Wally for the first time. Then she would replay the kiss. She didn't know what it meant for him, but it was the most unbelievable thing she had ever felt. To this day she wasn't sure how she even mustered up the courage to do that. The thought of just being by Wally's side kept her spirits up and she needed it because she couldn't remember a time in her life where she felt this poorly and this weak. And even though he didn't know it, Wally was helping her do that.

She glanced over at Dove, who was asleep. His leg had gotten slightly worse, forcing him to stay down. It was getting bad enough where Preston could see every time he tried to walk on it he flinched in pain. You didn't have to be able to read other people emotions to tell he was suffering badly.

Preston couldn't wait to get all her strength back, so she could pay back Strange for all he did. As this thought came up in her mind she chuckled. That was Wally talking. She hadn't noticed that he had rubbed off on her that way. A smile spread across her face as she thought of him again.

"What are you smiling at girl?" The same bulky man who had taken her from her cell the first time was back. "You looking forward to another doctor's visit?" He moved toward her and picked her up.

Preston didn't have the strength to fight back, but she did spit in his face. He wrapped his arms tighter around her until he could tell she was in pain. At the sound of her whimpering Dove awoke and tried to jump up and strangle the man, but he was slapped away. He landed hard on his bad leg and cried out in pain. Feeling helpless, he could only watch Preston be carried away from the cell with dismay.

* * *

"Hold her down." Doctor Strange approached the metal operating table that Preston was lying face down on.

As the two men who forced her on the table now held down her legs and arms, Strange stuck a needle in her back and injected some fluid. "That will do it." He leaned down so she could see his face. "Seems you were hiding something from us. You have the ability to fly. We need you to show us your wings. But I know you will not do that willingly. Since we have the dampening field up, I have designed a special fluid that allows most powers to be used. When I found out you had wings I had to tweak the serum a bit to include what I would call aerominium. There are a few extra unusual chromosomes in specimens that can fly. Thankfully I have been able to isolate those chromosomes and add that to my already existing serum. Since I discovered the chromosomes I decided to name them after you my dear, aerominium chromosomes. Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?"

As he said this Preston could feel her wings start to emerge from her back. She struggled to pull them back in, but found she could do nothing to stop them from being exposed. Her wings spanned almost the entire room.

"Marvelous, beautiful things," Strange started to caress the wings, sending cold shivers down Preston's spine. "Wouldn't these look good on me?" He laughed perversely and went to the other side of the room to grab a metal tray, with what could only be described as surgical tools, on it. "Thank you for your wonderful contribution to science, my dear." He grabbed a large tool that looked like a saw and placed it near the root of her right wing. A large cunning smile formed on Strange's face as he started to move the saw back and forth slowly, cutting the bone of the wing.

With every small cut Preston felt excruciating pain. Suddenly she felt the saw dig very deep into her wing. She heard herself scream. What surprised her was not that she screamed but that she screamed for him, for Wally, before she passed out from the pain being inflicted on her.

* * *

Wally jumped out of bed anxiously. "Preston! Preston!?" He looked around furiously and realized he was in his apartment. Putting his hand over his heart, he felt that it was beating really fast. "Ok, it was just a dream. Calm down."

He needed to reassure himself as he walked into the kitchen and filled a cup with water. That dream felt so real. He had never had a dream like that. Shakily he took a few sips of water and he could feel his heart slowing down. His adrenaline was also getting to an acceptable level.

He paced back and forth in front of his bed. "Why did I have to see her in my dream?" He angrily put his hands on his cheeks then ran them over his head, resting them, intertwined, on the back of his neck. "Why can't I just forget about her already?" He laid back down on his bed, frustrated with himself.

* * *

As Martian Manhunter phased out of the rock and flew down to the ground he sensed them. He reached out with his mind to figure out where the eight people with powers were being kept. Suddenly his head whipped back in pain, he opened his mind and quickly made his way through the compound. While he was flying he tapped the communicator in his ear. "Batman come in. Come in."

"We are inside the compound, have you got a read on the prisoners?"

"It's Aero." He landed and phased through the locked door that was in front of him. Glancing around the room all he saw was a metal surgical bed, but lying next to it on the ground was a figure covered in blood. He ran to her and turned her around, cradling her in his arms. "She's dying."

Batman felt knocked back as if he was hit by a car. Then the rage started to rise inside of him. "Get her out of here, take her to the mansion. We will take care of the rest." As soon as he finished talking to the Martian he ran as fast as he could into the compound. He quickly located a few prisoner cells and dissolved the locks to free the people. The last cell was only occupied by one man.

"I could sense you were on your way." Dove's back was to the cell door, Batman could tell by his voice he was in a great amount of pain. "Did you find her? Did you find Aero?"

Batman's face cringed in worry. "Yes."

"She isn't ok. I sensed her let go. You need to take care of her. She is a priority. Once any power is removed, a person dies. Go, she needs medical attention now!" Dove struggled to turn around and face Batman.

"J'onn has her."

Dove sighed, relieved. "Then I know she will be ok. I never could read J'onn. Martians huh?" Dove managed a small smile. "Time to go get the bastard who did this. Doctor Strange is still here somewhere. I can sense him. Go take him down."


	8. Chapter 7

" **My heart won't let you go** **  
** **And I need you to know** **  
** **I miss you"**

Hugo Strange gasped for air and his vision started to get blurry. He clawed at the arms in front of him, hoping it would help him to be released from their painful grasp. But instead of loosening, the grip on his neck tightened and he was pushed hard against a wall, his head slammed against it with an obvious thump and immediately he felt hot fluid dripping down his neck.

"What did you do to her?" Batman growled.

Hugo couldn't see the man's eyes clearly through the cowl, but he detected an unbridled passionate anger from them. For the first time since becoming acquainted with the Dark Knight, he truly felt afraid of him.

"What any good genetic engineer would do when given a chance to explore the genes of those who in every sense of the word are superior to you or me." His voice trembled as he hoarsely tried to explain himself. "You can't blame me; the genes are so fascinating." A small smile came to his face after he finished explaining things, despite the obvious uneasiness he was feeling.

Disgusted, Batman let Hugo drop to the ground. He rubbed the back of his head only to confirm what he already knew, a big gash was made when he hit the wall. There was more blood running from it then he had thought, dangerous levels almost. He hurriedly tore a piece of cloth from his coat and bunched it up into a ball. But before he could place it on the back of his head, Batman grabbed him by the neck again and threw him on the metal table in the room. Then he took the arm and leg straps attached to the table, and bound Hugo with them. Batman then started walking around the room, examining each vile of serum, note, or tool that was left in the room.

"Which one of these did you inject her with?" Batman's voice was eerily calm as he picked up a vile of orange tinted liquid. In is other hand he had picked up a syringe and was now filling it with the orange liquid. He walked back towards Hugo, who was trying with what little strength he had left, to get out of the straps on the table.

When he looked back up at Batman, he seemed like a different person. There was a look in his eye that Hugo could only describe as deranged and unbalanced. "If you don't tell me exactly what you did to her, this, "he looked at the syringe in his right hand and made a point by squirting a little of the liquid out, "will be injected into your veins."

There was no doubt in Hugo's mind that Batman would do it. He knew the Dark Knight was unorthodox normally, but hurting this girl, Aero, must have been the catalyst that broke his control. When he looked at Batman he could tell that he was not thinking rationally. And any sign of the usual calm and controlled man he had grown to expect, was gone.

The needle was a centimeter away from the skin on his arm, he could almost feel the cold of the instrument as it got closer. He tensed up, and squinted his eyes, waiting for the slight sting that associated a needle in the arm. It felt like hours passing waiting for it to penetrate his skin. Strange opened his eyes, thinking maybe he was more immune to a needle prick then he thought, only to notice Batman looking back at the equipment on the lab table. Batman looked from the table to the needle in his hand then back to the table again. It seemed like he was having a fight with his conscience, a debate whether he should go through with injecting Hugo with the unknown substance or not.

A contented sigh escaped Hugo's mouth as someone else entered the room.

Batman looked up at Green Lantern, syringe still in hand. "Batman, we have gathered all the prisoners up and loaded them up on the jet. They are all in need of medical attention."

Nodding Batman looked down at the syringe in his hand. He trembled in fear at his loss of control. He dropped it on the ground and took a step forward, crushing it. "Let's get all the research we can grab here, I have a feeling we will need it." He shot an angry glare at Doctor Strange. "And get him out of here."

Feeling frustrated with himself, Batman stormed out of the room and walked down the hall to try and calm his nerves. He leaned his back against a wall and pushed his fist back. He hit the wall so hard you could hear his knuckles crack under the pressure.

"Batman," He looked up to see Deep Magnitude standing a few feet away from him. Rubbing his hand to alleviate the pain he nodded for her to speak. She looked at him questioningly "Should we interrogate Strange before we lock him up?"

"If he had any information that we could use, he would have told us by now." He paused. A shutter ran up his spine thinking of what he might have done to Strange had he lost control. "Trust me." His words came out with bitter disdain. He could taste the anger and loathing on the tip of his tongue.

Deep Magnitude nodded in acknowledgement. "Alright, I'm almost done storing things in my dimensional pockets. I think we only need a couple more minutes to finish up."

Batman sighed and stood up straight again as she walked away. He shook his feelings off as best he could and got on the communicator. "J'onn, how far are you from the mansion? What's her condition?"

"I'm about ten minutes out. I called ahead to Alfred. Aero is alive, but I don't know for how long. When I arrive, I can give you more information."

Batman turned off the communicator and opened up a pouch on his belt. He pulled out a handful of charges and started making his way through the facility, placing a charge every ten feet or so. As he placed the last one, he pulled out the detonator and took one last look around, the disgust rising in his throat again.

* * *

J'onn walked into the large room, carrying Aero in his arms.

"Lay her gently on the bed and I will gather things to tend to her wounds." Alfred said from behind J'onn as he directed him toward the bed in the middle of the room. "From my recollection, she isn't allergic to anything," Alfred glanced at Aero as J'onn laid her down, he swallowed roughly, keeping the gasp from escaping his lips. He didn't expect to see her looking this bad. His eyes began to show signs of tears. Taking a deep breath in, willing himself to remain collected he asked, "J'onn can I do anything else for her?" The words came out in a volume barely above a whisper.

"The only logical thing we can do until Bruce gets back with more information, is to test her blood, see if we can isolate any foreign agents in it," mechanically J'onn let the unfeeling, methodical Martian take over, but his compassionate side was not giving up as easily as he hoped.

J'onn was a tender alien but, he lost a big part of that part of him when his whole world was destroyed leaving him without his family and without a home. The emotions that Aero stirred in him were ones he had long ago forgotten. A picture of his daughter running towards him, flashed in his mind as he held onto Aero's arm.

Emotion almost taking over, J'onn's hand shook a little as he grabbed the syringe from Alfred and lightly pressed the needle against the flesh on Aero's arm. "Praying to whatever God you believe in might also be useful." As he did daily, J'onn silently prayed. This prayer was filled with more feeling then most, but just as sincere.

Alfred felt helpless, his job, no his life, only had meaning when he was serving and supporting those he cared for most in the world. Right now, there was nothing he could do to help the dying girl that lay before him. The comfort he would normally give to her, if she was hurting, was a moot gesture because she was unaware of the situation she was in and what was going on around her. All he could do was grab her hand as he stood over her and quietly muttered a prayer to himself.

The solemn feeling was disrupted by footsteps outside the room. Both men opened their eyes and tried to focus through the water that was surfacing in their eyes.

When Alfred could see clearly, he saw a dark figure standing at the entrance to the room. Its shoulders were hunched heavily over, and its hand was holding tightly on to the door frame, as if wielding itself to stay standing.

"Alfred, how is she?" Bruce's hoarse voice was filled with pain and resentment. "J'onn, did I get here in time to help?" Bruce lifted his head to look at the alien who saw desperation written all over his face.

J'onn attempted a smile to reassure him. "She hasn't left us yet. I will quickly look over what notes you were able to accumulate and put together a temporary solution to buy more time until we can find a permanent solution." J'onn quickly made his way out of the room and headed toward the lab where he knew Bruce had gathered everything.

Bruce willed himself to walk over to the bed. He sat and looked Aero over. Her face was a pale yellow with reddish patches surfacing slowly around her cheeks. Her eyes were slightly sunken in and perspiration sit lightly on her forehead. Turning his head quickly away from her face, compelling himself to hold his emotion back, he looked at the rest of her.

The petiteness that before had made her even more charming, was now the thing that frightened Bruce the most. She had lost a significant amount of weight and looked so frail and small that he was afraid she wouldn't be able to fight for her life; the battle he knew she was now engaged in.

Bruce moved closer to her on the bed. Alfred took this as his cue to leave the room. Before he walked out, he made his way over to his master and laid a hand on his back, lingering there for a moment. Then with his chin up, he walked out of the room to see if he could help J'onn to speed things up in anyway.

Grabbing her hand in both of his, Bruce let a single tear fall on to their now intertwined fingers. "You can't leave. Preston, I can't let you leave. Please…"

* * *

"Master Bruce, "Alfred lightly touched Bruce's back. He was now slumped over on the bed, his head next to Aero's, in what seemed like a restless sleep. His hand was still tightly holding on to hers.

With slight disorientation, Bruce opened his eyes at the sound of his name and they instantly landed on Aero and an immediate feeling of sadness became apparent on his face. Sitting up, he rubbed Aero's hand with his thumb before letting go. He moved toward the edge of the bed and sat with his legs over the edge. He rubbed his face between his hands and kept them covering his face for an instant.

From behind his hands his reply was a bit muffled. "What is it Alfred?"

"J'onn has finished a serum he believes will keep her alive for a few days."

J'onn came up behind Alfred into the room. "He is correct, this should help for a short period of time…"

"For how long?" Bruce quickly stood, interrupting J'onn.

"I am uncertain. Some time is better than the alternative." Both men nodded in agreement. "It will allow us the time I need to thoroughly examine all of Strange's findings." J'onn moved closer to the bed. Alfred and Bruce backed away. "Before I inject her with the serum, I need to see what state her mind is in." He lay his right hand on her forehead and closed his eyes.

Entering someone's mind was something J'onn only did if it was necessary and it was something he never got used to. Minds were often confusing and hard to navigate. Not only that, there was always the fear of seeing or experiencing something you had no right to be a part of. That's the main reason this practice was not a favorite of J'onn's. But he needed to see how much was left of Aero mentally and he wanted to leave her with a thought, a hope, a reassurance that they were indeed here and doing all they could. And he wanted to implant the idea for her to keep holding on and fighting to survive.

Hope surfaced as he entered Aero's mind. Nothing stood out as being different or abnormal. He took that as a step in the right direction. When he reached the part of her mind he intended to implant the thought he took a deep breath and let his mind speak to hers. "Hold on, we are here. Please keep fighting." As he rooted these thoughts into her mind, images came flashing up, images of Wally. Suddenly realizing these were memories of Aero's J'onn didn't want to intrude anymore so he began to back out of her mind slowly, so as not to give it a shock. When he thought he had left her mind, a sudden wave of confusion hit him and he abruptly felt like he was slapped and forced inside his own mind. Dazed, he grasped for any confirmation of where he was.

"J'onn, its ok. It's me, Preston."

J'onn was confused. He was no longer in her mind, he was now in his own. This wasn't possible. Martian telepathy was only one way. Communication was only possible if he was in someone else's mind, not in their own. With no idea what was going on, he decided to respond. "Preston?"

"Thank you. I will fight as hard as I can." And with that reassurance, J'onn's eyes suddenly opened and he was back in the room in Wayne Manor. He looked around and realized his hand was still on Aero's forehead and the syringe was in his other hand.

"What did you see J'onn?"

J'onn looked behind him as if just noticing someone else was in the room. "Bruce" he took a breath, trying to gain his composure. Unsure of what had just happened, he decided to leave it alone for now and focus on the task at hand. "Her mind is good; no damage at all."

Both Alfred and Bruce let go of the breath they were absentmindedly holding on to. "That's a relief, isn't it, Master Bruce?"

"Yes, it is Alfred. J'onn, go ahead and administer the serum."

As soon as J'onn had pushed the plunger in, he delicately pulled the needle out of Aero's arm. "Now I must go. I have many papers to read through and research to do so we can find a long-lasting solution to this. Take care not to jostle her too much, since her wings were removed her bones are in a very fragile state."

Bruce nodded to the alien as Alfred accompanied J'onn back down to the lab.

* * *

"From the research I have discovered Aero is in the state she is in because one of her powers has been removed. Apparently, any DNA that is different than the normal human makeup is considered a superpower. Her wings are an addition to her human makeup that enhances her. It appears that anyone who possesses powers is reliant on such to keep them alive." J'onn didn't look up from the computer screen as he told Bruce of his findings. He felt time would be wasted if he did.

Bruce, who normally prided himself on being clean and well groomed, rubbed his hand through his messy unwashed hair. His clothes were no longer in the pressed condition they started in a few days ago. Neither of the men had left the lab since they got down there, both for very different reasons.

J'onn knew he didn't have the time to waste with food consumption or sleep. There was a very limited time frame to find something to help Aero. She still hadn't awoken but J'onn hadn't expected her too. The serum he gave her a few days ago was only to keep her stable, it's all he could put together in the time that he had. He was starting to feel time pushing down on him.

On the other hand, Bruce, while mainly concerned with saving Aero, stayed in the lab for another reason, one that was driven by emotion. Guilt. He knew even if they did succeed in saving her, Aero would never be the same girl she was before, the girl who Bruce had come to know and love as a daughter. The girl who he couldn't wait to see every day, the one who made him open his heart again after the death of a dear friend, the girl who he would give his life for, the same girl who he decided would be the perfect choice for a knowingly dangerous mission. The willpower he had to refrain from second guessing his decisions had now completely vanished. He didn't know when he could once again be trusted to make a good decision.

"She would have pushed for you to let her go even if you had said no."

"Are you reading my mind?" Bruce snapped at him. "Aren't you supposed to ask permission to do that?" he asked through gritted teeth. Anger was rising in him.

J'onn turned around in his chair for the first time in hours. "Yes, and I apologize but I was concerned." His face dropped and he looked sympathetically at Bruce. "And I agreed with your decision, it was not yours alone. She also agreed, and willingly went because she saw the good it would do, and the good it did do. We no longer are losing our friends. That is because of Aero and the decision she made to help us all."

Bruce slowly unclenched his fist, his anger subsiding knowing all Jon said was true. He opened his mouth to say something but all he could do was slowly nod in agreement and turn away from J'onn.

"And now we are going to help her," J'onn had turned back to the screen in front of him and had punched a few buttons then sat back with a sense of relief.

Bruce lifted his head up as he noticed hope in Jon's voice.

"I have found which proteins to isolate. I believe I can start working on something." J'onn quickly made his way to the table in the back of the lab. "There will not be anything I can do about bringing her wings back, they are forever lost, but I believe I can keep her alive and out of pain."

Immediately Bruce made his way to Jon's side. "Tell me what I can do to help."

* * *

Standing only a few feet away from Preston was a man. She could tell because of his stance. He had a broad chest and thin waist. There was no doubt in her mind who this was. His red tight costume, which was recognized by most, was not the only reason Preston knew him. The mask which normally covered his head and eyes was removed and gave way to red spikey hair and beautiful green eyes. The feelings that she had regarding him is what made her sure as to who this was. She didn't need someone to tell her this was her best friend, the love of her life, Wally West. She could hear him saying something to her, his voice barely a whisper. Even so she could make out his voice perfectly, "Don't let go Preston."

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Suddenly she grabbed her throat because of a sharp shooting pain she felt in it and wings sprouted out of her back, pulling her away from Wally. Holding her hand out to him, their fingers touched just before she was ripped away into blackness.

* * *

The figure that stood not far from him was easy to recognize. Even though they had only seen each other once out of costume, Wally could recognize Preston's petite frame and figure anywhere. She looked very different though. Every other time she had shown up in his dreams she was in the same outfit she wore the day they met at Jitters, the last day he saw her. He remembered her hair was down and curly and she had a soft rosy color in her face. This time she looked frail and tired. He wasn't sure why, but she looked like she needed reassurance. His mouth opened and he heard himself say, "Don't let go Preston." After he said that he saw her try to reply but she grabbed her throat as if in pain and her wings opened out and started to pull her away. He reached his arm out just in time to touch her fingers before she was pulled away into a black void.

Wally awoke quickly after that disturbing dream. In fact, every night for the past month or so he was awoken violently from nightmares. Never in his life had he had dreams like this. And he could pinpoint exactly when they started. His mind wandered back to a month ago when he had heard Preston screaming his name. The scream was unlike any other he had heard, it was filled with excruciating pain, sorrow and fear. He couldn't get the sound out of his mind. It had immediately forced him awake because he had thought it was so real.

Since that night, the dreams started. Most nights he had only two, but some nights he found it impossible to sleep. The lack of sleep had started affecting his performance in both the auto shop and with the League. Feeling compelled to finally talk with someone about what he was experiencing, Wally quickly got dressed and ran over to see the only people he felt comfortable to talk to, his aunt Iris and his mentor, Barry Allen.

* * *

"Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Bruce paced the small space in front of the bed Preston lay on, trying to keep himself from looking at her because when he did a wave of regret and remorse washed over him.

"I am aware the situation looks bad because the immunotoxin has been in her system for three weeks now and she seems to be unchanged, but I did not assure you the recovery would be quick. She was nearly dead, that alone is enough to drain her entire system of energy. And she also lost an essential part of her being, her DNA makeup. That was the most challenging part of concocting the immunotoxin, the body needed her winged appendages like yours needs your lungs, or heart. What I could put together had to include some of same amino acids as her wings, or it would not work at all. As it is, the best I could do is relieve some of the pain that will ultimately exist forever, and keep her alive, granted she continues the injections for the rest of her human life."

Bruce had stopped pacing and had walked over to stand next to J'onn, who was at Aero's bedside busying himself with checking her vitals. When he stopped his explanation, his shoulders slumped a little. Bruce took this chance to show a little affection to his old friend. He placed his hand on J'onn's shoulder and patted it. "I'm being impatient, please forgive me old friend. In the meantime, let's agree to keep the information about the immunotoxin between you, Alfred and me," he paused, unsure. "It's best that way."

The reassurance he needed could only be given by one person, so Bruce reached down and held onto Preston's hand, hoping that it would help. Instead he felt her fingers tighten around his own. He quickly looked up at her face with anxious anticipation. Situating himself in a sitting position on the bed next to her, he ran his hand gently across her forehead as she took a deep breath in. Her eyes started to flutter open. She blinked a few times before laying her eyes on her hand holding on to Bruce's. A small smile crossed her features, a sense of relief hidden behind it. She looked up at Bruce and opened her mouth to say something but all she heard was a small squeak.

From above her head she heard a deep voice. "Slowly now. You have almost no strength. Talking might take some time."

Preston didn't remember the last time she had seen J'onn smile but even if she did it didn't stick in her memory like this one would. His smile reassured her in a way nothing else could. She couldn't remember what happened to her or where she was, but none of that mattered as soon as she saw Bruce and J'onn next to her, each caring for her in their own way.

"Aero, do you remember what happened to you?" J'onn moved closer to the bed so she wouldn't have to strain her vocal cords.

As she nodded a small noise came from her throat. J'onn had to lean in very close to be able to hear it. His ear to the brim of her lip, he heard her answer, which told him she remembered most of her experience. "I'm not Aero, I'm Preston." She choked out her words, but not because her voice had been unused, but from the amount of sorrow she felt. She quickly squeezed Bruce's hand, her memories flooding back to her.

Bruce's voice cracked, "Preston," his guilt and concern were getting in the way of finding just the right thing to say to her, to comfort her, tell her everything would be alright. Her words cut him to the heart, but he knew better then to question the firm decision that was written between her words, she had lost all confidence in Aero. If Bruce were truly being honest with himself, his faith in Preston's situation getting better was wavering and he knew things would never be back to the way they were before. Too much had happened, Preston had experienced too much, gone through too much and had suffered more then he cared to know about.

* * *

"Wally, I don't know what to tell you," Barry sat down on the couch next to his friend, placing his arm around his shoulders as Wally slumped over, head in his hands. "Just sounds like you are working too hard, I don't think the dreams mean anything. Or they are hiding some hidden feelings of yours." Wally looked up at Barry, his face expressionless.

Iris Allen gave Barry a stern, knowing look before saying, "Barry just because you almost had a doctorate doesn't mean you majored in psychology. Don't listen to him Wally, he has no idea what he is talking about."

A smile made its way to the right edge of Wally's mouth. "Actually, for once, I think he's right."

Barry looked over his shoulder at Iris, a sense of pride written all over his face. "Told you."

Iris rolled her eyes at her husband before turning toward Wally and giving him her full attention. "What do you mean, Wally?"

"I have so many conflicting feelings about the whole situation, I don't know what I really feel. I'm angry, really angry that Aero just left, left without saying a word," as he spoke his voice rose and his cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. "Why would she do that? We were best friends. Friends don't treat each other that way!" Realizing how high his voice had gotten, he bowed his head in apology and took a deep breath in before continuing. "But I also know her and I know she wouldn't do that without a reason. Am I the reason? Did I do something? And, where is she? Is she dead, alive, hurt what? And I think the worst part of it is, I didn't get to say goodbye…" his voice grew soft as he finished his thought.

"You had no closure." Iris understood, before Barry was a string of bad relationships that ended leaving her feeling as if she had done something wrong. But Barry helped her realize it wasn't her fault, she was a kind, strong person who just had made some bad choices when it came to men. Reminiscing she continued, "that does leave an opening in your heart."

Wally looked up at her and nodded. "I feel like I will never be able to fill the hole she left. What can I do? I need to stop thinking about her. I need these dreams to stop, it's driving me crazy! I can't focus, which when you are fighting crime, is not the best thing. I haven't been called for many missions lately, and I know why. Even though they haven't said it, the League knows I am not at my best, so I can't do much good. But I need to focus and stay busy. Ugh, help!"

Both Barry and Iris knew what each other were thinking before they spoke it, so the words they said came out in unison, "Go tell Oliver how you feel."

* * *

"Three weeks?" Preston blew the words out in a disturbed whisper. She tottered back a little, quickly placing her hands down on the bed at her side to keep her steady as she attempted to keep herself in a sitting position. Bruce noticed her wavering and quickly placed his hand on her back to help stabilize her. Preston tightly held on to the sheet that lay below her. "Three…I…I…"

Bruce sat down next to her on the bed and moved his right hand to firmly grab on to her arm. With his other hand, he gently stroked Preston's left cheek. "Preston, I know this is a shock, but you are ok." He glanced over at J'onn and Alfred, who both had stunned looks on their faces. Like him, they weren't prepared for Preston to take the news so hard, it was heart breaking. Bruce nodded at the men. With a nod of understanding in return, both men left the room hoping Bruce could help Preston, not only fully understand the new situation she was forced to be in, but also to face it with the strength they knew she had once possessed.

"You are alive, that's all the matters." He hugged her close to him and squeezed tightly as she shook with each sob that escaped her mouth. "I have to tell you this, and it's going to be hard to hear." Preston nodded against Bruce's shoulder and dug her face deeper into the embrace. "When Strange took your wings, he almost took your life. You were more dependent on your wings then you realized. It seems whatever powers as humans we might possess, they are essential to the fabric of our lives and once they are taken away, we lose our lives."

Preston slightly raised her head, so her mouth was no longer buried, "Then why am I alive?" The words came out sounding like regret, disappointment and sorrow.

Bruce chose to ignore the feelings he heard in her whimper, too afraid to ask what they meant. Reaching his hand up to stroke her hair, he answered her. "We were able to find a serum that Strange was using to at least keep you alive until J'onn found another way. He put together an immunotoxin using amino acids from your wings, well what's left of them…" Bruce felt Preston's right arm leave his side. He watched as she felt her back, the space where her wings used to be. As she touched the jagged bone that remained, she gasped. "I'm so sorry, Preston. He's a monster."

She quickly moved her arm away in shock. Once again Bruce felt her arm around his waist, but this time she squeezed with whatever strength she had left in her, which at the moment, wasn't much. "I know this will take some adjustment, but you're here, your safe." Bruce decided he had told her enough for now, and if he was honest, he didn't want to talk anymore. He wrapped both arms around her tightly, as if willing her the strength she needed to get through this. For the moment both were dependent on the other to keep from collapsing from the aguish they both were feeling.

Preston mumbled something into Bruce's chest. He strained to hear, without any luck. Gently he placed his index finger under her chin and raised her head up until he could look into her eyes. "Preston, what is it?"

Before speaking, she shut her eyes. She didn't want to see the expression on his face anymore then she wanted to be in the situation she was in right now. Willing herself to speak above a whisper she told him how she felt. "I want to go home."

Despite himself, Bruce found those words more cutting then he should have. Pushing his own selfish feelings aside he addressed her needs. "I understand. But we need a few more days to see how you react on the immunotoxin and to determine how often you will be needing it." He paused a moment, wishing he could hold off on telling her the whole truth. Against his wishes, he had to tell her. "Right now, it's the only thing keeping you alive. While J'onn was able to save you, the immunotoxin is not a cure. The only thing he could manage with it was to be able to lessen the pain you feel and keep you alive, granted you receive it on a regular basis."

Preston slowly backed away from Bruce on the bed, keeping her head down in confusion and disbelief. She had no idea what to say or do with this information. It was almost unbelievable. To stay alive, she had to receive a dose of the immunotoxin regularly. What would happen if she missed a dose? How long did each dose last? Would this be her fate for the rest of her life? As these questions quickly gathered in her head, all she wanted to do was lay down. But she didn't want to be alone. She needed her best friend with her, to help her understand what she was going through and to tell her she was going to be alright.

"How long?" she choked out the words, longing to hear an answer that would give her at least a small sense of relief.

Bruce shook his head, and as he did so, J'onn walked in the room behind him. "From my calculations, we should be able to determine the intervals you will need to receive the immunotoxin within two to three days. We know this is hard for you, so Alfred and I are working as quickly as we can so that you may return home to your family as soon as possible," J'onn gave her a small smile hoping it would relieve the pained look on Preston's face.

"Can I go home after that?"

Bruce nodded.

"Can I see everyone I left?" a sense of hope filled her voice as she asked.

Bruce nodded again. "Until then, get some rest." He stood up and kissed her on the head quickly before exiting the room. Right outside the door, he fell back against the wall to keep himself from falling down. His knees felt weak and they seemed to refuse to hold his weight anymore. Moving his hands behind him, to prop himself up against the wall, he strained to hear J'onn talking to Preston. The voices sounded far away and muffled as Bruce felt himself slipping down the wall and out of consciousness.


	9. Chapter 8

**And what's the worst you take  
From every heart you break  
And like the blade you stain  
Well I've been holding on tonight  
What's the worst that I can say?  
Things are better if I stay  
So long and Goodnight**

J'onn opened his eyes, blinking to make sure he was seeing correctly. He was surrounded by darkness, which made it impossible for him to make out exactly where he was. Glancing around, he saw a solitary spotlight ahead of him. In the middle of the light he saw a figure. From this distance he couldn't make out what or who it was.

He walked closer to determine what exactly he was looking at. The closer he got the more the figure became distinguishable to his eyes. It was Preston. Her head hung low. At first glance it appeared she was asleep but as J'onn drew closer, he noticed she was looking down at something on the ground below her. He followed her line of sight and saw a body.

Moving even closer he could clearly make out what he was really looking at. Preston was standing over a body. Aero's body. As he approached, Preston looked up at him, tears in her eyes, her face red, blotchy and visibly shaking. He wanted to call out to her, but he could only take steps to close the distance between them. With the slightest nod, Preston directed J'onn's attention to Aero who lay before them in a puddle of blood. So much blood it soaked the ground all around her. Her wings, which at first glance appeared normal, with a clear view you could tell they were no longer attached to her body. The white glow from her eyes was completely gone, leaving blackness in their absence. Her skin was severely pale and had a gray undertone. J'onn could not determine how long she had been laying there but he knew for certain that Aero was dead.

Preston tried to speak but every time she did her tears and whimpers took over. J'onn was so close to her he could feel her body shake against his. She felt cold. As he wrapped his arm around her back, willing her to take comfort in his embrace, he suddenly fell back, and his world went dark.

* * *

J'onn forced himself to sit up. Opening his eyes, he became conscious of where he was. He was alone. His senses kicked in and he was aware that he was in the room he was occupying at Wayne Manor. J'onn stood up from the chair, where he realized he must had fallen asleep.

What had just occurred? That was not his dream. He had not been in his own mind. And he knew he hadn't been alone. He could sense her all around him, penetrating the darkness. That darkness, that atmosphere, it all felt like Preston. It didn't make sense to him but things involving telepaths rarely did.

As he grasped what had just happened, he quickly morphed back into the body he commonly used. His skin transformed into a darker green, the point on the top of his head turned into a rounded form to appear more like a human's while he shrunk himself to his appropriate human height, six feet. The molecules used to transform the color of his skin, started shifting again to form the outfit that others were accustomed to seeing him wearing, red straps ran across his chest while blue boots formed around his legs and matching skin tight shorts began to appear while a huge cape emerged from his back and draped to the floor As soon as he was done morphing he hastily made his way to the large guest room, the one that Preston was currently staying in.

His pace slowed as he neared the door, which was slightly ajar. Just one thought ran through his mind as he quietly entered the room. How?

"J'onn, she's dead."

His eyes strayed around the room, in dire need to find something. After a few seconds his eyes landed on what he was seeking. He took a breath in, recognizing he overreacted. It was her, Preston, she was the one who spoke.

"What do you mean?" He looked at Preston. She had the same demeanor as she did in the dream. Her head hung low and tears were in her eyes.

"You saw her too didn't you?"

Immediately after the words escaped her mouth, J'onn was brought back to the darkness. But he was not in his own mind.

"How are you doing this?" J'onn was so confused and if he was honest with himself, a bit frightened.

Preston looked at him, confusion written all over her face. J'onn could see the same fear in her white eyes that he knew was present in his own. "I..." she stammered and started to rub the side of her head, as if in pain. "...don't don't know." The look in her eyes suggested she was desperately searching her own brain for answers. Suddenly, she sat upright and there was a flash of clarity in her eyes. "Strange. He was experimenting with powers."

"Yes Dove told us that you both had been injected..." J'onn trailed off, a hypothesis forming in his own mind. A conclusion, an answer, was manufacturing itself. He could not be sure though until he had a few more questions answered. "Have you had any other telepathic encounters? Can you read my mind now?" J'onn looked at her intently, inviting her into his own mind.

"I'm not sure. I don't know. I don't know how I did it."

J'onn could read the desperation on her face. "Do I have permission to enter your mind? Find some answers?"

Preston nodded, striving to show J'onn more confidence than the obvious apprehension she really felt.

* * *

Dove strode forward, grabbing on to the parallel bars with all the strength he had in his arms. The upper body strength he had always longed for was now a reality. Unfortunately, the achievement did not come without a cost, full use of his leg. He lifted himself up and tried once again to place more weight on the leg. As soon as he did, his ankle gave out.

Normally staying positive was easy for him, after all between him and Hawk he was always the one who would build them both up and keep them going. But even weeks later, the time he spent in the underground medical facility in Africa got under his skin. So much so that what used to come easily to him, staying positive, was now a fight, a struggle.

Dove grunted, frustrated in himself and his situation. But there was another reason he found that he was unable to focus completely on his physical therapy and on getting back into the swing of things.

Preston.

He had heard nothing about her. His power allowed him to sense that she was still in fact alive, but that was all that he knew. His brother got upset every time he had mentioned that he was worried about her because as he said, "You should be more worried about yourself and focusing on getting back out there to help others."

Hawk wasn't wrong, though he could have been more understanding about the situation.

Dove would not admit it to himself but there was another thing that was bothering him. A whisper of a feeling that he never let himself experience. It was buried so deep that he didn't even know it was a problem. As time went by and he heard nothing about Preston, hate was very slowly growing inside him. Right now, it remained small, but he would soon notice it and the affect it would have on him.

* * *

"Master Bruce." Alfred quietly beckoned the man lying in the bed. "Master Bruce, you have a visitor."

Opening his eyes, Bruce looked up at Alfred. "Alfred, what happened last night?"

"Sir, you fell asleep outside of Miss Preston's room. J'onn and I found you later that evening and he carried you back here. Master Bruce, that was two days ago sir." Alfred knew that comment was going to anger his protégé.

Feeling overwhelmed with the information Bruce's mouth gaped open. He wasn't quite sure how to react to that.

"I apologize Master Bruce for not waking you sooner, but sir you were exhausted, and your body needed the extra rest. It has been a trying few weeks for you not only physically but also emotionally. I have been observing you and know you have been sleeping very little. Every minute you aren't with Preston you are keeping yourself occupied. I know it's because of the guilt you feel. This guilt weighs so heavily on you sir, but…"

"Alfred, that's enough," Bruce responded in a very calm manner, surprising Alfred. He cleared his throat and stood up allowing Alfred to help him put on his dressing gown. "You said I had a visitor. Who is it?"

"He awaits you in the study."

Bruce nodded and started to head out of the room but paused and laid his hand on Alfred's arm, looking up at him. "Thank you for being worried old friend." He patted him gently and walked out of the room.

* * *

"Don please forgive my appearance I just woke up." Bruce motioned for the man across from him to sit down on the chair opposite. He also sat, making sure to give the appearance that he was relaxed, and this was in informal visit even though the fact he was still in his dressing gown already said that for him. Glancing across the room he noticed a cane propped up against the wall, abandoned. Bruce thought it was left so his guest wouldn't appear weak. But although he wasn't using the accessory, Don made no pretenses about his handicap. Seeing the affliction with every step Don made hurt Bruce's heart. "How is the physical therapy going?"

"How is it you know about my well-being, but you haven't felt the need to tell anyone where Aero is or how she is doing?" Don was surprised at the amount of displeasure his words were laced with. Aghast at his reaction, he took a deep breath and continued. "Bruce, I know she's alive I can sense her. I would have thought after everything her and I went through together you would have the decency to keep me abreast of the situation." He felt the anger rising again in him. Using all the willpower he had at the moment, he forced himself to speak more slowly, hoping this would keep the feeling at bay. "For god's sake Bruce she was dying. You think you would reach out and let me know that she didn't."

Not knowing what else to say he forced himself to stop talking. Hell, he didn't come here to do this. He had no idea where this was all coming from, he just saw Bruce and the words came bursting out of him like they had a mind of their own.

Slumping back into the chair he crossed his arms, feeling slightly embarrassed with a tinge of justification. Unsure of what else might come out of his mouth, he decided to focus on the lamp on the table beside him instead of the man who sat in front of him.

"You're right." Bruce felt a bit defeated. Since he sent Aero on the mission he, for the first time in his life was second guessing any decisions he made and actions he took. Don's power wouldn't allow Bruce to hide how insecure he felt. So, he relented and in a move that was very unlike him, released the pent-up feelings he had been desperately trying to hold in. "I've made a lot of mistakes regarding this whole ordeal. Not allowing you to know how she is, is among them."

Unsure of why, Bruce felt the need to keep going, wanting to reveal all his faults and lay out all the sins he knew he had committed, especially recently. But he often found himself feeling that way when around Don, whose powers as Dove, often compelled him to acknowledge feelings he did his best to compartmentalize. "I thought I knew what was best for not only Aero, but everyone involved in the situation. I do," Bruce stood and walked across to where Don was sitting.

Don, who was now solely focused on Bruce, felt the need to stand being unsure of what to do or say. This reaction from Bruce was completely unexpected.

"I do regret..." Bruce stopped short of finishing his sentence and just placed his hand on Don's shoulder. Don looked up at him and noticed a spark of sympathy in his eyes. The only thing he could think of to do was nod in understanding.

That seemed to be what Bruce was hoping for because he immediately nodded back then slowly walked out of the room, an air of failure hanging all around him. Just before he fully exited the room he waved for Don to follow him.

* * *

J'onn started to phase in and out. As he delved deeper into Preston's mind he felt his control slipping away. He had never felt more unsure in his life. Should he keep going, no matter what the consequences to himself, to help the girl whom he owed so much more than he could give?

He knew Bruce was feeling guilty over all the decisions made regarding Preston, but he wasn't the only one. Thankfully Bruce couldn't read minds. J'onn's agony would remain his own.

J'onn wanted so badly to find answers. How did they share a dream? Suddenly he remembered that was not the first time they were telepathically linked. When Preston was unconscious she spoke to him in his mind. Yes, that was the first time he sensed something was different.

The only thing he was finding as he searched for a reason or a cause for this telepathic link was aberrations he could not quite make out. They seemed familiar to him, similar to ones he sensed before when we was home on Mars telepathically linked with his own people. But that's where the similarity ended. There was also the feeling of a former host, possibly the person who possessed this telepathic power prior to its removal and integration into Preston.

A faint whimper caught his attention. The moment after he heard it, everything in Preston's mind turned red. Realizing it was she that made the noise and it didn't come from inside her mind, he immediately severed the connection with caution.

Quickly catching his breath he placed his hand on Preston's cheek to try to calm her breathing. "Forgive me, I went to far and I fear you weren't ready for it."

"No, "Preston's breathing was laborious and fast. It was a struggle to get to words out. "It's ok. I," She took a few deep breaths. "I just didn't expect…" she trailed off, still gasping for air.

J'onn moved his hand to her back, hoping to hear her lungs to see if there were any respiratory issues he had caused. As he moved his hand an inch, he sensed people right outside the door.

"J'onn, did you," with one last heavy sigh her breathing seemed to return to normal. "Find anything?"

In her mind J'onn replied, "Later young one. You have guests." As the last word left his mouth, a faint knock was heard at the door.

* * *

"J'onn, can we come in?" Bruce's voice was barely above a whisper.

Preston looked at J'onn, her eyes asking for the permission to let the visitors in. J'onn just smiled. Excitement rose in her, a feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time. She wanted to see Bruce of course, after all she hadn't seen him in a few days and in that time J'onn and Alfred had said she made incredible progress. They had made her start taking small walks around the mansion and even though every step was agonizing, she did it anyway and was surprised to find that she felt a small sense of pride because of it. But immediately following the feeling of pride always came the other feelings. The darker feelings, doubt and uncertainty. Those were so dominant now. Even though he didn't say so she knew J'onn could sense them there, always in the background. She hid them as best she could because she owed it to them.

J'onn, Alfred and Bruce had given her a second chance at life. As she lay on the floor in the laboratory in Africa she thought that was it, she would never see them again. And what made that feeling worse was that she didn't know at the time if her mission was successful. Knowing now that it was, she often thought she would have been satisfied to give her life even if it helped just one other person.

Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't realize J'onn had left the room and two others had just come in.

"Aero."

Preston looked up at the man who stood in front of her bed. While she recognized him, he seemed to be a shell of the man he once was. But she knew why and she knew he probably thought the same thing of her. "Don," the words came out with a happy sigh. A small smile appeared on her face as she moved to the edge of the bed and pushed herself to stand.

Don moved over to her and enveloped her in a hug. The feelings that passed between them in that moment were felt in the whole room. Bruce who had been standing back to give them a few moments, was taken aback by the sudden shift of the air in the room. Sensing the joy, comfort, familiarity and relief in the room made Bruce uncomfortable. Why did he think keeping Preston from those she cared for would be good for her? What made him even think of tearing her away from them all in the first place?

"Preston."

When she heard her name again she regretfully pulled away from Don and looked up at Bruce. "Yeah," she hadn't expected the tears that were now slowly making their way down her cheeks.

Bruce walked up to them both and put one hand on each of their shoulders. He forced a small smile. "Don is here to take you home. "

Don looked at him confused, but he knew Bruce was telling the truth. Bruce wanted Preston to be with her family.

"Yes, we can catch up on the ride over." Don didn't know how much he needed this. Seeing Aero was cathartic. Yes, she was not the same strong girl she was, but part of that girl, part of Aero remained. If he was honest he was having a hard time focusing on her feelings because he was slightly overwhelmed by his own. "I will wait in the study if that's ok with Bruce. When you're ready come get me."

* * *

"Look at you, walking. You made a lot of progress." Bruce looked at Preston with fatherly pride. "I'm sorry I was not here the past few days."

"Bruce," Preston put her hand over his. "I understand. It's ok." She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, thank you for letting me go home." She gave him the biggest smile she could muster up.

"Of course. Now that you are doing a little better it's not fair for me to keep you here. Go ahead and get dressed so you can go."

Preston nodded as Bruce exited the room and closed the door. A few steps away were J'onn and Alfred. As he looked at them he suddenly became worried. Their faces told him that while he slept they had found some information that could change everything. His patience for bad news wearing thin he said, "What is it? Is it about Preston?"

Both men looked at each other then back at Bruce. "Sir, she needs surgery. The Immunotoxin is working but only minimally. When Strange removed her wings it was, excuse the expression, a hatchet job. He obviously was not working carefully, but rather greedily. For Preston to live we need to go in and remove the wings fully, all the way down to the bones." Alfred felt very unsure of himself in that moment. "With her wings fully removed we can develop a better treatment for her. Or at least we can in theory."

"J'onn, you agree with this assessment? Does Preston know yet?"

J'onn nodded. "No Bruce we didn't want to say anything until we told you. But perhaps this is a good time for her to go home. She is strong, but we are unsure if she is strong enough to survive this surgery. Being with family might give her the added strength she needs."

"Don is taking her home in a few minutes." Bruce could feel anger and frustration rising in him. He released it by punching the wall beside him. Alfred and Jon looked at each other with a tinge of worry in their expression.

"Sir, I think..."

"It's ok Alfred, I will tell her. I don't want to keep anything else from her. She has the right to make her own decisions, I have no right to make them for her."

* * *

"What are the chances of surviving?"

"J'onn didn't tell me the odds. To be honest I don't think he calculated them. Look Preston, I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now but we thought you should know before you went home that way you could…" Bruce didn't know how to say the next words.

"Say goodbye?" Without realizing it, Preston let out a very small chuckle. "Sorry I don't know where that came from. Disbelief I guess. I mean at least this time I would get to say goodbye."

That comment pained Bruce more then Preston could know. She didn't mean it towards him, after all she knew everything that was involved in the mission, that it had to be kept secret and she wasn't allowed to tell anyone she would be gone. But what she didn't know was that Bruce had made those stipulations on his own, they weren't a requirement. To know she could have died without a chance to say goodbye split him apart. He shifted his weight around, attempting to hide the pain he was feeling.

He cleared his throat. "All right Don is waiting for you. Please come back in a few days we need to make some decisions on your treatment and you need to get more of the immunotoxin." He stiffened up as she leaned in to hug him.

"Thank you for everything," she whispered into his ear which was followed by a quick kiss on the cheek.

* * *

Preston's heart jumped as they turned the familiar corner of the driveway where the Queen Mansion would now be in full view. She had never been more excited to see a building in her life. It's true what they said, home is where the heart is and as they got ever closer to the door she felt her heart starting to resemble what it was over a year ago when she was home last.

"Don thank you so much." As the car stopped she started to open the door and move her legs to get out, but Don lightly grabbed her arm.

"Aero, let me help you, your still very weak."

"I have to do this myself," She begged. "Please?" She was touched by his concern, but she wanted to enter her own home on her own terms. "And I'm not Aero anymore," Her head dropped slightly, and Don could sense the overwhelming sadness behind her statement.

"It was good to see you, Preston." He made sure he put extra emphasis on her name. "Welcome home." With that Don let her get out of the car and watched until she slowly and with much difficulty, made her way to the front door of the mansion. Once she was there, he casually drove away.

Preston felt nervous as she lifted her hand to knock on the door. The reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. She hadn't been home in over a year. Would they be ok with her coming home? The decision was made by Preston over a year ago not to tell Ollie when she left, would he still be mad, or would he and Dinah be just as overjoyed to see her as she was at thought of seeing them?

Before she knew it, her hand was making a rapping noise on the door. A moment later the butler answered the door. He immediately recognized her. "Ms. Preston! Come in, come in. Let me go get Mrs. Lance." He quickly ushered her inside.

The walls seemed taller then before and the room was slightly intimidating in its enormity. Just as Preston started to walk around the foyer, touching and running her fingers over every picture and trinket, she heard a gasp from the staircase. Preston looked up to see Dinah running down to her, her cheeks wet with tears.

"Preston." Dinah wrapped her arms around her neck as Preston wrapped hers around Dinah's waist. "Oh, you beautiful girl." She stroked her hair as they embraced. "Oliver!" Dinah yelled as loud as she could without activating her sonic scream. "Oliver get out here now!" Her plea had a lightness to it, an air of joy she hadn't heard from herself in quite some time, and she knew Oliver hadn't either.

From across the foyer they could hear a grumble behind the closed office door. When the door opened they could make out what was being said. "Every damn time Dinah I'm in a meeting something interrupts…" Oliver stopped short and his hand shot up to his mouth, covering it in disbelief. He grabbed onto the small table next to him to try and keep his balance. "Is that really you?"

All Preston could manage to respond with was a nod. At this point the tears were streaming down her face quickly. She could barely make out the man who was in front of her.

"Oh my girl!" With those words Oliver closed the distance between them and grabbed both women in the biggest embrace he could muster. As they all clung to each other, they felt themselves slipping to the ground. Neither of them was sure who's legs gave out first, but now sitting on the ground in the foyer of the mansion they refused to let go of one other for fear of losing each other again. "Tough it out my girl, this is fatherly love crushing your innards." With those words, Oliver buried his face in Preston's hair and grabbed onto his wife's hand as tightly as he could.

"What the heck is going on out there?"

All three heads lifted and looked back toward the office. As soon as Preston saw him her breath caught in her throat. He looked more handsome then she remembered. A small smile crept up into her face, amidst the tears that freely fell from being reunited with Oliver and Dinah. She squeezed both tightly before standing up, a bit unsteadily.

She smiled at Wally, who hadn't taken his eyes off her since he recognized who she was. Slowly, taking small, uncertain steps, she walked closer to Wally. She couldn't tell what he was feeling, her own feelings were too overwhelming. The joy she had thought she lost forever was slowly creeping back at seeing him standing before her. Finally, she began to hope, hope she might be able to retrieve a small resemblance of who she was before, before the pain, before the disappointment, before Aero died.

It took Wally only seconds to recognize the girl now standing in front of him. "Preston?" He remembered what she looked like, but she looked very different now. She was thinner, and the spark was gone from her eyes. Wally was so confused. He didn't know how he felt or how he was supposed to feel. Part of him was angry, but another part was relived and happy. He needed to make sense of what was going on, so he did what he knew best, he ran.


	10. Chapter 9

" **Here we stand  
Worlds apart  
Hearts broken in two, two, two  
Sleepless nights  
Losing ground  
I'm reaching for you, you, you** **"**

Batman unbuckled his belt from across his chest and jumped out of the car. He adjusted his cowl, it felt a bit tight tonight.

As he headed toward the bank, keeping to the dark shadows that the broken street lamps created, he saw a dark figure jump down from a ledge above him.

"I can't even see your face and I still know somethings bothering you, "a brusque voice observed.

"Are you here to analyze me or help me to catch the thieves, Nightwing?"

"I'm here to be a friend and to help with whatever you need. We have known each other a long time. I can tell when something is weighing on your mind."

"I'm fine."

"And there it is," Nightwing paused. "The famous lie," He said with a snark.

Batman shook his head. "The bad guys are getting away."

* * *

"Alfred, wait in the car. I won't be long." Bruce nodded at the older man and then closed the door to the car. He glanced up at the apartment building while rubbing his palm across his lower face. He let out a long, heavy breath and walked up the stoop until he reached the intercom. He scanned the list of tenants until he saw the name he was looking for, West. He pushed the buzzer.

"Yes?"

"Wally, it's Bruce."

"Bruce? What are you doing here…oh never mind. Come on up."

Bruce heard the light buzz that released the door lock. He pushed open the door and steadily walked up the three flights of stairs to the apartment. When he arrived on the third floor Wally was standing in the hall waiting for him.

"What took you so long?" He joked, awkwardly trying to cut the obvious tension.

"Wally, I need to talk to you about Aero." He paused sadly. "I mean Preston."

When he heard her name, Wally stiffened, and a dark scowl appeared on his face. He held out his arm and motioned toward the inside of his apartment. He followed Bruce inside. They both stood looking at each other until Bruce spoke up. "You should sit down."

"It's my house you can't tell me what to do here." Wally snapped at him. "I don't feel like sitting."

"Suit yourself." Bruce took a deep breath and a seat on Wally's couch. "I honestly don't know where to start, except to say don't blame Preston."

Wally looked at him expressionless.

"I know you were mad that she left. Especially because she didn't say goodbye."

"How do you know that?" Wally asked sharply. He glared at Bruce, his eyes almost boring through him.

"Because I am the one who wouldn't let her say goodbye to anyone, especially you."

Wally sat down quickly, almost as if he was given a swift kick in the gut and he couldn't hold himself up anymore. He glared at Bruce, furious. "Why was that your decision to make?"

"Because I planned the op."

Wally looked confused.

"She was gone on a secret operation that J'onn and I had been planning for months. We sent her when we did because we had no other choice, or so we thought at the time. She went undercover on the op." Bruce stood up. He didn't want to feel comfortable right now, he didn't deserve to. "Damnit I never expected it to last as long as it did. And I never expected her to go through what she did," his voice got lower and brittle. "And it's all my fault. That's why you can't blame her. She stuck with it because I asked her to." Bruce was pacing now. When he got back to standing in front of Wally he stopped and crouched down to look at him. He started talking again quietly and slower. "You know her, Wally, she tries to make everyone happy, especially me and I knew that and took advantage of it. But Wally, what she went through…I will never forgive myself," he whispered.

Wally's attention was solely on Bruce now as he asked, voice thick with concern. "What do you mean?"

Bruce grasped to get his voice back. "You need to talk to her. I know when you saw her a few days ago, you just left and didn't. Wally you need to. She needs you right now. She went through things I couldn't even imagine. It changed her."  
He stood up and placed his hand on Wally's shoulder. "Please go to her."

Wally was shaking his head in disbelief. "I don't understand."

Bruce looked down at him. "Go to her."

* * *

Wally paced back and forth quickly in his apartment. What did Bruce mean? What happened while Preston was gone? Was she hurt? At the thought of that, Wally felt sick to his stomach and memories of his recent nightmares came to the front of his mind. The terrifying screams, the anguish of Preston being so close and in pain, but he could never get to her and his constant reminders for her not to let go.

He had to know. He needed answers. Answers to things he had tried hard to forget. Preston his best friend and the woman who he thought, "No, " he reminded himself out loud. "You know your in love with her. She is everything to you, no one else makes you feel the same way she does. And I need to know, " his voice softened. "I need to know what's happened to her."

* * *

Wally ran to the Queen Mansion. He got there faster than he thought he would. Looking up at the house he realized he had no idea what he was going to say or do once he saw Preston. He slowly paced back and forth in front of the gates, trying to think of the right things to say.

"Mr. West, would you like to come in?"

Wally turned towards the intercom, startled. "Oh yeah."

The gates opened, and Wally walked up to the front door. The butler opened the door and welcomed Wally into the foyer.

"Welcome back Mr. West. I will get Mr. Queen, please wait a moment."

Wally continued his pacing in the foyer as he waited for Oliver. Being the fastest man alive made it very hard for Wally to be patient. After only seconds of pacing he decided to go look for Oliver. Wally ran up the stairs as quickly as possible and went through the entire second floor just a fast. On finding no one, he made his way back to the main floor only to see Oliver, in his full Green Arrow suit, making his way into the kitchen. Wally rushed to block his path.

"Wally, wow you just snuck up on me, didn't you? Well I'm famished. Crime fighting sure does build up an appetite. Am I right?"

Wally couldn't tell what mood Oliver was in. He normally got sarcastic when he was not in a good one, but Wally didn't care he needed some answers. "Oliver I just came to, to get some answers, talk to Preston. I don't know. Bruce came over and told me about a secret mission and Preston being hurt and…"

Wally was talking a mile a minute making it very hard for Oliver to understand him. Thankfully he had a lot of practice with his forerunner, Barry. "Calm down Wally. Come on, let's have a little chat."

* * *

"I'm sorry Wally I don't have more information to give you. She hasn't told us anything about the mission or what happened. To be honest, I don't think I want to know. " Oliver stroked his beard absentmindedly. "I can tell she's in intense pain every day. I see it in her eyes. Her eyes use to beam with joy and just incapsulate who she was, but there isn't even a glint of that left." He sat up a little straighter and Wally could see a fire burning in Oliver's eyes. "And I don't know what the hell Strange put her through, but my little girl isn't the same anymore. If they didn't already find and capture him, that bastard would be a dead man right now."

Wally patted Oliver on the back, hoping to calm him and to reassure himself. Oliver looked at him and gave him a half-hearted smile. "I don't want to press her Wally. I'm content just having her back." He patted his friend on the leg. "I know she lost something out there. But it's not my place to tell you about it."

"Where is she Oliver?"

* * *

"Mr. West What can I do for you?" Alfred held the door ajar a moment before opening it completely after realizing who had knocked.

"Alfred, hi. Is Preston here?" Wally was desperate now, he needed to see her. He tapped his foot impatiently, moving it faster with each passing second.

"Oh Mr. West," Alfred sounded disappointed, but not by the man who stood in front of him. Rather he had a lot of respect for Wally. He couldn't even imagine what he was going through. But he had another reason to be distressed. "I'm sorry son but they left a few moments ago."

"What? Where?" Wally was now a bit frantic. His mind was racing back to over a year ago when he initially lost Preston. He spent days running around the globe looking for her and when he came up empty it was a blow he didn't expect. This new dead end gave him a similar feeling. He reached up and with an exhale of exhaustion grabbed onto Alfred's coat collar. "Alfred I am not someone who is known for their patience and this is already the second place I have been tonight."

"I'm sorry Mr. West." Alfred leaned his head back to slowly try to get out of Wally's grip.

"I'm at the end of my rope Alfred. I know how much you care about her, she's like a daughter to you. So, I know you know where she is right now and what's happened to her. I'm begging you. I need to see her. I need to know she's alright. I need to see her face, hear her voice…" he trailed off and suddenly felt very weak. He slowly let go of Alfred's collar and dropped over the threshold of the mansion.

"Alfred I'm not the fastest man alive, I'm the dumbest. Why can't I take a moment to think before I react to things? Why do I automatically operate on speed dial? She's been gone for so long and then all of a sudden, BAM she's standing in front of me and what do I do? I run away, I run away from the woman I love. I run, Alfred!" He stopped talking for a minute. Alfred wasn't sure if he was finished or not, so he opened his mouth to say something when he heard Wally take a deep breath in and say, "Like I said, dumbest man alive." Wally turned and sat on the step in front of the threshold. Anchoring his elbows on his knees, he buried his face in his hands.

In a very uncharacteristic move, Alfred sat down on the step beside Wally and put his arm around his shoulders. "Mr. West, Wally, She's on the Watchtower with Bruce, J'on and Ray Palmer. May I suggest you use the teleporter here in the mansion?"

* * *

Skidding to a stop behind the dense wall that separated the hallway from the infirmary, the Flash took a moment to catch his breath. After he got off the teleporter pad he ran the fastest he could up to this level of the Watchtower. As he stood behind the wall he heard several voices softly discussing something. He was anxious to hear what was going on so, without making any sound, he moved closer to the edge of the wall, making sure not to be seen.

"Bruce thank you for letting us know. She hasn't told us much of anything since she has been home. When she isn't sleeping, which is most of the day, she is stuck to Oliver's side. But she rarely says more then a few words at a time." Flash could detect profound worry in Black Canary's voice.

"Dinah just give her time." Even though Bruce was trying his best to console Dinah, Flash could hear the obvious apprehension behind his words. It was the same tone he used when he came over a few nights ago to talk with him about Preston. "I need to go check on something. I will return soon. Com me if anything changes."

Flash was so engrossed in the conversation he didn't hear the heavy footfalls headed his direction until Bruce, donning his Batman suit came around the corner and stood inches away from him.

"Whoa." Flash stumbled backwards a few steps before catching his balance.

"Wally."

Taken aback by Bruce's informal demeanor, Flash's heart started to pound nervously. While on the Watchtower and in uniform, Bruce was the epitome of standing on ceremony, it was something you could always count on. After all he made the rule, while in uniform address each other accordingly. But this, Flash wasn't sure how to act, he had never seen Bruce this unpredictable. And seeing Bruce's expression made him even more unsure.

"Wally how much did you overhear?"

Flash winced, "What? Oh, not much. What's going on?"

Bruce looked at the younger man with sympathy, "You didn't get a chance to see her, did you?" Flash's head hung low and that action told Bruce all the he needed to know. "Wally I'm going to tell you what I can because I think you need to know."

All Flash could do was nod dumbfounded.

"I'm sure you have found out that she was imprisoned in a facility where her wings were forcibly removed from her. The facility was run by Doctor Strange who somehow discovered how to remove super powers. This all came to our attention because several heroes had gone missing and no one had any information about them. That's when we, J'onn and I, decided to send someone in to find out what was going on. About a year into the mission Preston was kidnapped and sent to this underground facility where lord knows what was done to her. The only thing we know is she was forced into a surgery and her wings where sawed off. Wally, without them she can't live." He took a deep, sorrowful breath. "Before we can figure out how to proceed, the remaining part of the wings need to be…"

Flash shook his head, he felt dizzy and all he could hear was Bruce's voice echoing in his head. He strained to understand what Bruce was saying but it just felt like his voice was moving farther and farther away. The echo changed into a dull hum as the dizziness subsided. Finally able to concentrate and pull his head up, Flash looked around only to find himself strapped to a cold metal table in a dark room. The septic smell that penetrated his nostrils made him sick to his stomach. The only other time he had smelled something similar was in a morgue. He couldn't see anything in the room beyond the table he was on. His heartbeat was rising quickly, so much so that it was the only thing he could hear. Then from the darkness that surrounded him he could pick out two voices that started talking in hushed whispers. "Wally. Wally." One voice would speak first then the other would repeat what the first said. "Wally. Wally." The pitches in the two voices varied only slightly, almost as if they came from the same person. A girl.

They started to get louder. "Wally."

"Wally."

"I'm sorry."

"So sorry."

"Wally."

"Didn't mean to hurt you."

"I didn't mean it."

"Wally."

With the last call of his name, he found himself now standing a few feet away from the table. Instead of being strapped to the metal table, he was now looking down at it and someone else was strapped to it. Aero. Her body lay listless and Wally couldn't tell if she was breathing or not. Her wings were fully emerged and seemed to hang limply off the sides of the table.

Just then a scream broke the silence in the room. It came from Aero. It was bloodcurdling. Wally could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He started to channel the energy of the speed force, only to feel like he hit a wall. As her scream got louder Wally tried to call to her but to no avail. He took a deep breath closed his eyes and being again to channel the speed force, but this time he did it with every last bit of energy he had. Before taking his first step, he opened his eyes then ran to her.

* * *

"J'onn, take a look at this." Ray Palmer stopped the scalpel an inch short of its target, then drew it back and placed in on the tray table. "Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Aero have two full tattoos here?" As he talked he pointed to each shoulder blade. "Did she get them partially removed? They look like they were never finished."

J'onn leaned in to take a closer look. He did recall that she had her wings tattooed on the upper thoracic area of her back. He didn't know what to say about this discovery. Were the two things linked? Preston had been under the care of Bruce for weeks now and he wasn't sure how he missed this. The knowing look he gave Ray told him that he would make a mental note of this and investigate it later. Ray nodded his head in acknowledgement and secured the paper mask on over his mouth as he went to pick up the scalpel again.

"J'onn as soon as I make the cut I will need you to go in and ascertain how much bone we must remove. After we asses that, I will know if I need to put on the Atom suit. It all depends on how complex the bone structure is and how much damage the previous removal left." With these words, the two men began one of the most perplexing and complicated surgeries either had ever done.

A few moments after Ray made the delicate cut to give J'onn access into Preston's back, he stepped aside to give J'onn the room he needed. J'onn transformed his finger into the shape of forceps before using it to enter the open incision. Feeling around as delicately as he could, J'onn sensed the damage was more then they initially thought. What was the term Alfred used? Hatchet job? J'onn felt this was worse then even that. The bone that was left was so jagged, it cut his Martian skin, which said a lot because his skin was almost impenetrable.

After a minute he had made the best assessment he could, given the circumstances. He removed his hand from Preston's back and turned toward Ray. "I think if we send you in with the Atom suit, it will be very treacherous. None of the bone has a clean cut. It may end up being more dangerous for you."

Taking a deep breath in, then releasing it slowly, Ray walked to the other side of the room. "I think its worth the risk. I don't know Aero, I mean Preston very well, but I know she sacrificed everything to keep us all safe. She deserves the same from me."

If emotion could be read on J'onn's face, Ray would have seen a gleam of pride. J'onn's mouth curled up at one end for just a second before he moved to help Ray into his suit.

As he tightened on the legs of the Atom suit, J'onn said a silent prayer for not only Ray, but Preston as well. Neither he nor Ray had ever performed a procedure like this. The experience they had in the past, working in the Watchtower infirmary fixing up various kinds of wounds, was not going to help them this time. They both were feeling uncertain and anxious. But neither would admit it to each other, even though it could be felt in the room.

Ray tightened the last piece of his suit. He felt as ready as he possibly could, given the circumstances. "All right, as soon as I shrink down and enter the incision, direct me to the damaged area as quick as possible. I recently made a few improvements to the laser scalpel on my suit. Should make this go pretty quick. I'm just worried about what impact this will have on her, not only afterwards, but while I'm in there."

"Don't worry I will be monitoring her vitals closely, as well as yours. If I see any cause for concern, I will pull you out of there."

"Hopefully you won't have to." Ray put his index and middle finger up to his temple in a salute. "Wish me luck."

"You won't need it, H'ronmeer isn't ready for her yet." With those words, J'onn bowed his head and said another quick prayer.

Ray noticed this gesture and tightly shut his eyes to say his own. After a minute he raised his head up high, touched a button on the chest of his suit and shrank down to the size of an ant.

As he set his foot on the skin at the opening of the incision he heard a loud crash behind him. The sound was almost deafening at his current height. "J'onn, J'onn what was that?"

From a few feet away, Ray could make out that the surgical tray was now laying on the ground, the instruments that were once laying on top were scattered all around. "J'onn do I proceed?"

With a grunt J'onn answered, "Proceed, quickly."

* * *

"J'onn can't you hear her? She's screaming in pain. Stop! She doesn't want to go through this!" Flash struggled against J'onn who was holding him at arm's length. As he tried to push J'onn away he felt hands clamp down on his shoulders. He glanced behind his shoulder to see Green Arrow grappling to get a hold of him.

"Flash, stop. She has to have this done." Green Arrow tried to hide the doubt in his voice. The fact that Preston had already been through so much and now had to go through one more thing, was more then he was prepared for. But he had faith in J'onn and Ray, that they knew how to best help his little girl.

"Oliver she's screaming in pain can't you hear her?" Flash relented and sunk to the ground in the infirmary. He felt like he was suffocating under his mask, so he removed it and slumped over as Green Arrow and J'onn kneeled down to keep ahold of him. "She's hurting. You need to stop."

"Wally what are you talking about? She's asleep. Ray put her under anesthesia before they started."

In disbelief Flash looked up at the woman who lay on the bed. Oliver was right. She was still and quiet. He shuttered. "I could have sworn I heard her screaming in pain. She was in so much pain Oliver."

J'onn raised his eyebrow, intrigued but also a little concerned. Apparently, he was not the only person touched by Preston's telepathy. This new power she acquired seemed to have no rhyme or reason to it. After reaching into Preston's mind, J'onn had decided to do a little more research. He tested every vial of blood they had taken from her while she was at the mansion. What he found in all of them was the same, absolutely nothing. Whatever telepathic power had been integrated into her DNA was well hidden.

By all standards she was not telepathic, at least not by any test he had done. But that wasn't the truth. She was. But to what extent, J'onn didn't know. And Preston certainly didn't know. She didn't even know how to use the power and she absolutely didn't have control over when she used it. These dreams she had shared with J'onn, he sensed that many were shared with Wally as well. The ones that Wally and Preston shared were most likely more intense and more real than anything he would ever experience with her, because love served to amplify any telepathic ability one had.

But now was not the time to be preoccupied by this. He and Ray needed to finish this surgery quickly. Preston's future depended on it. J'onn decided to go into Flash's mind and place calming thoughts inside.

"Wally don't worry I won't let anything happen to her. Trust me." J'onn debated telling him how serious this surgery was. Knowing it would not help the situation, he decided against it. If Preston made it through this, she could choose whether to tell him or not.

What J'onn did next was an act of pure desperation. His emotions were spent. Not only had he been trying to hold back his own but he was constantly dealing with the emotions of those around him. It was so very tiring feeling what everyone else was. But that was even more true now that everyone had been affected so much by Preston and the current situation they all found themselves in. Wally's emotions were louder in J'onn's mind than anyone else. He was such a passionate young man who wore his heart on his sleeve. If J'onn could just silence one person's emotions he would be able to get through this. With deep regret in his heart for what he was about to do, he reached back into Wally's mind.

* * *

"The cuts are as clean as I can make them. How are her vitals looking?" Ray Palmer switched the laser on his suit to the off position as he walked around the area to examine his work and make sure there was nothing that he missed.

"Vitals are stable, for now. I had to raise the immunotoxin 6.5ml within the last five minutes. I fear she will have to be on the highest dose until we can find another solution."

Ray frowned, a little disappointed. "I don't know what I was expecting, I knew this wouldn't fix her dependence on it, but I was hoping for better news. But," he sighed deeply. "There has never been a problem I couldn't figure out, J'onn. Don't worry she will be ok." That was said as more of a reassurance to himself than to J'onn, but he felt like they both needed it now.

He hadn't expected the surgery to take as long as it did. After five hours he was exhausted. But he felt like he had accomplished at least a little bit of good. The remaining bone from her wings was now completely detached from her spinal column and J'onn had reached in and pulled it all out. They both had checked the area to make sure no small shard or piece of bone had been left behind. Then came the more difficult part, the part that took the longest. Since Preston's wings were an essential component of her spine, Ray had to build something to replace them. He knew whatever he built would only be a temporary stop gap measure until they could come up with something better, and they would come up with something. He was sure of that. The construction was lengthy. If he had been able to do it full size it would have gone much faster. But it had to be done inside her back. As he looked back up at his creation he allowed himself a small semblance of pride. But he immediately pushed the feeling aside, feeling ashamed he allowed himself to feel anything good while those around him were suffering so much.

"Ray, you should feel proud. It will keep her alive long enough for us to find a more permanent solution." J'onn felt a small wave of relief pass over him. They should both feel proud of the work they did. Unlike other surgeries the two had worked on together, this one was painfully tedious and required them to have 100% concentration and be more careful then either of them had ever been before. That's why, while he felt regret for sending Wally into a dream filled sleep, he deemed it necessary for both he and Ray to be able to concentrate on the problem at hand. "Let's close her up and move her into a recovery room. We need to get her to breath on her own before the night is over."

Ray jumped out of Preston's body and flew down to the infirmary floor before once again hitting the button on his chest to become his normal height of six foot. By the time he had finished growing to his normal size, J'onn had closed the incision. Ray walked back over to Preston to examine the scar they had made. Glancing down, a black mark caught his eye. "J'onn come here, quick."

J'onn closed the small gap between them to look at what Ray was concerned with. Both men could not believe what they saw in front of them. The parts of tattoo that had remained on her back before the surgery were now disappearing, almost as if they were being blown away from Preston's body. Within seconds any evidence that she had tattoos had disappeared. Ray and J'onn looked at each other, perplexed. "What does it mean?" Ray was more confused than ever.

" I do not know."

* * *

"Oliver, you may see her now. She isn't awake yet, but her vitals are good." J'onn tiredly walked up to the man who had been waiting outside the infirmary during the whole surgery.

He and Dinah had stopped pacing a few hours ago and decided to wait the rest of the surgery out by sitting on the floor in the hallway. They didn't want to be a nuisance to either J'onn or Ray by asking how Preston was doing while the surgery was going on. So, both remained silent outside of the room. When J'onn walked up to Oliver, he glanced down at his wife, who had laid her head down on his shoulder and fell asleep. They had both had a trying few days. While they were beyond happy to have Preston home, they worried about her every moment of every day. Neither of them talked about it, but they could just look at each other and know what the other was thinking.

Oliver nodded to the man who lay a few feet away from him. "I really think Wally should go in first. He needs it." It hurt his heart to not be the first person to check up Preston, but he owed it to Wally. Oliver knew while he and Dinah suffered, Wally went through worse. He couldn't believe he was even thinking that, but Oliver knew if Dinah had disappeared it would have broken him. She was his world, the reason he woke up every morning. And Oliver knew that Preston was Wally's.

J'onn nodded in agreement and walked over to Wally who was sprawled out on the ground. J'onn went into his mind for a moment and what he saw made him smile. Wally was dreaming about the first time he saw Preston. Feeling like he was invading something very personal, J'onn quickly made his way out of Wally's mind. The regret he felt for implanting an idea in his head was replaced with contentment. The implanted thought gave Wally's mind a few hours of rest from the turmoil it had been under.

Oliver moved Dinah over, so she was leaning against the wall. There was no need to disturb her just yet. The rest she was getting was well deserved and very needed. After making sure Dinah was as comfortable as she could be, he walked over to J'onn. "Should we wake him?"

"Yes." Oliver could hear the weariness in J'onn's voice. He looked up at Jon and swore he looked pale, whatever that meant when you were green. Placing his hand on the Martian's shoulder he said, "Go home. I will make sure he gets to see her." J'onn couldn't do anything but nod. He thanked Oliver then phased through the floor.

Oliver shook his head. The amount of time and care that J'onn and Ray had given Preston was unbelievable. The thought of all they did brought a tear to his eye. He had no idea how he and Dinah would ever repay them. Sighing heavily his thoughts strayed to Bruce and the last time they had seen each other. It wasn't a good visit. Things were said that Oliver deeply regretted. And he hated to admit it, but he knew that he would have made the same choices had he been in Bruce's position. They were more alike than he cared to admit.

The worst thing he did was punch Bruce in the face. He didn't know where that came from, but it was done. Thankfully, Bruce didn't punch him back. He didn't know what he would have done if that happened. But he knew whatever it was it would have completely ruined their friendship.

While he was still mad at the man who sent his daughter off on a mission she had no right going on, he knew that Bruce had spent a lot of time and money and had given so much of himself to help her when she returned. He saved her life.

Sometime in the next few days he knew he would have to swallow his pride and go and talk to Bruce. But more importantly he would go and thank Bruce for bringing his Preston back to him.

Focusing his thoughts once again on the present issue, he knelt beside Wally, who looked a sight with his mask off, sprawled out on the floor and drooling on the tile that lay below him. Seeing him brought a light chuckle to Oliver's lips. "Oh Wally. I can't believe she loves you of all people." His words were lighthearted. Wally was one of the best men that Oliver had ever known, and that was saying a lot since he spent most of his nights with superheroes. "Wally, wake up."

* * *

"So, what does that mean then?" Wally placed his hands on the glass window in front of him. He felt if he did that he could almost touch her.

"I don't know Wally. I think we just have to wait and see. Go on, go be with her," with those words Oliver pushed Wally into the silent room.

Wally staggered toward the chair that was left next to the bed. On the bed lay Preston, sleeping softly. He knew she looked different but the other night when he saw her he couldn't see just how much. She had lost a significant amount of weight. Her skin was very pale, and Wally could see unhealed injuries covering her body. A wave of emotion flooded over him. All he could do was grab onto her hand. As he held it between both of his, he leaned his head down on the bed, as close to her body as possible. He needed to feel her breathing.

"Preston." All he could muster was a low whisper. "I missed you. I didn't have anyone to horse around with. My best friend had gone all heroic and left me here to fend for myself. You know I should never be left alone. You're the one who told me that." He rubbed her hand between his, trying to calm himself down. "You know you missed a lot while you were gone…"

* * *

J'onn was just about to leave, but he needed to do something first. He made his way back up to the floor where Preston was recovering. As he walked up to her room, there was a figure already standing outside the glass doors, looking in. As J'onn approached, the man didn't even look up.

"Will she be ok?"

"We hope. So far nothing indicates anything to the contrary." J'onn paused for a moment, unsure if he should press on. He pushed his apprehension aside. "Dove, I need to ask about what happened to you both in Africa."

Dove looked up at the Martian, obviously nervous. "Yes of course you do. I suppose I have put off talking about it for long enough. I will do my best to tell you what you need to know."

Jon nodded in approval. "What did Strange inject Preston with?"  
 **  
**


	11. Chapter 10

**These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase  
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have all of me**

"This is a personal investigation Dove, so I would appreciate your discretion in the matter." J'onn waited for the man standing beside him to give him some sort of acknowledgement.

Dove turned to face J'onn. "Am I allowed to know why you are digging further into this? I don't think you are going to like what you find." Not only had Dove been personally tortured and tormented by what happened in Africa, but while he was imprisoned there he could feel what everyone else was going through as well. He wasn't sure which was worse, dealing with his own feelings or those of the heroes around him.

Everyday Dove tried his best to keep the incident from his mind by whatever means necessary. To see that someone had a desire to dig further into the horrors that he had unwillingly experienced, chilled him to the bone.

"What did Strange inject Preston with?"

"A deal then. I will be discreet about this matter if you do something for me in return."

J'onn was taken aback by the rawness in Dove's voice. This was a side of the man he had never seen, and it sent a tremor down his spine. Something inside of him was warning him about what could come next. J'onn usually gave into his intuition, but he didn't have a choice this time. He had to ignore it. "What is it?"

"Tell me where he is. Where is Dr. Strange?"

With much trepidation J'onn answered him. "He is in solitary in Blackgate." As soon as the words left his mouth, J'onn felt a wave of uneasiness wash over him.

"Thank you, J'onn."

Anxious to finish this conversation J'onn asked, "What was Preston injected with?"

"There's only one person who can answer that question for you. And he's locked up in Blackgate."

* * *

The things J'onn found himself doing these days reminded him of what his desperation drove him to when he was on Mars fighting the White Martians. A part of him was lost on his home planet. He gave into emotions and actions he never before had allowed himself to think about. But war changes you. And trying to save the ones you love could turn you into a dangerous man.

J'onn had many regrets in his long life, but admittedly what he did for his planet was not among them. He did all he could to save his home. Sometimes that included taking actions he would never again do, let alone mention. Since then he worked very hard to fight the tendency to regress to that man who was driven only by passion and hatred. But lately the fight was turning into more of a war.

He didn't know exactly when he had dropped his wall and let Preston into his heart. Looking back, she had always been there. In a way he was thankful to her. After he lost his daughters, he wasn't sure if he would ever feel that way toward anyone else. But there she was, a lost girl who had her whole life ahead of her. A girl who had already been through a lot in her life and had taken it all in stride. Her personality reminded J'onn of his girls. She was the best of both of them.

He chuckled to himself. He never had a chance against Preston. The love that had developed for her in his heart drove him to do anything for her. And that scared him. He knew giving Dove the location of Strange was a mistake. But right now, he wanted to do all he could to help Preston, damn the consequences.

J'onn knew to confront Dr. Strange he would need some assistance. Someone who was adept at not only reading people but gathering information discreetly. As he left the teleporter pad located inside Wayne Manor, he transformed himself into Hank Henshaw, the human form he took as the occasion called for it. He quietly left the mansion and got in one of Bruce's cars and made his way to Hub City.

* * *

Hank Hall paced back and forth in front of the couch in the living room. He never felt nervous like this, but he wasn't used to dealing with feelings. That was his brother's department. Punching bad guys, that he was comfortable with. But confronting Don because he had been acting different lately, completely out of his comfort zone.

He loved his brother. And he knew his brother. From what he had seen lately, something was wrong with him. And that worried Hank. It took all his strength to deal with how uncomfortable he was waiting for his brother. It made him so anxious he couldn't stop moving about the room. He would sit on the couch one minute then get up and quickly pace around it the next. Rubbing his hands together vigorously trying to remain calm, Hank sighed in relief when he heard the key turn in the front door.

He decided to sit on the couch and act casual. He didn't want to put Don on guard right away.

As Don entered the house, he threw his keys on the small table beside the front door and rested his cane up against the opposite wall. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it letting out a long breath.

"Hey bro."

Startled, Don looked up at his brother trying to look casual sitting on the couch. "Hey. What's going on?"

Hank shifted on the couch. "Nothing really just thought I would stop by and say hey."

Don raised his eyebrow skeptically. "I know you better then anyone Hank. I can tell when your lying or hiding something. But even if I didn't know you I could tell you were lying. I can sense emotion remember?"

"Oh yeah. Forgot that." Hank bit his bottom lip in thought.

"Why are you really here? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Oh, really what is it?"

"Just a," Don immediately put his guard up and lied through his teeth. "project I have been working on."

"Ok well can I help with it?"

"Hank, just tell me why you are here."

Hank stood up and closed the distance between them. He placed his hand on Don's shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm worried about you."

Brushing his brothers hand off him Don slowly moved to the other side of the room, obviously in pain from overuse of his leg. "Please. I'm fine."

"Right. Now who's lying. Look I came over to check on you because you haven't been yourself since…" Hank couldn't finish his sentence because he was afraid how Don would react.

Don responded quickly, his voice laced with animosity. "Since Africa?"

"See that's exactly what I'm talking about. You're angry and you never get angry. You're the most peaceful man I know. Seeing you like this worries me Don." He paused a moment to think about how to phrase his next sentence. "I think you should see someone. A psychiatrist maybe?"

The look on Don's face could only be described as suspicious. He formed a small smile to try to reassure his brother. The next thing he said would almost guarantee that his brother would leave him alone. In fact, he was counting on it. "That's a great idea. In fact, I have an appointment to see one early tomorrow morning."

* * *

A man in a long blue overcoat, blue fedora and orange socks stepped out of the shadows of the dark alley and onto the trash ridden street. As he walked, he kept his head down and his hands in his pockets. He walked with a purpose, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings for any hint of trouble.

As he approached the single building at the end of the street, he lifted his head up to look at the 3rd story window. Passerby's who saw him immediately gasped and walked past him as fast as they could. The reaction he got when he wore his Pseudoderm mask had always amused the Question.

He quietly made his way up to the 3rd story of the damaged brick building. As he neared a single door at the end of a long hallway, he pulled the collar up on his coat and straightened the hat on his head. He reached for the door knob and turned it slowly, pushing the door open as quietly as possible. Taking a quick scan of the room, he took a step forward, the floor creaked under him.

"Thank you for meeting me here." Another man stood near the window in the darkness.

Question walked up and stood beside him. "Of course. Clandestine meetings are imperative in my line of work."

"Question, I am in need of your assistance."

"I deduced that. And since you did not go through normal Justice League channels to set up this meeting and you are in your human form of Hank Henshaw, I conclude that this is non-League business. I assume you would like to keep this private?"

"Yes." J'onn shifted a little, his conscience pricking the back of his mind. "I assume you heard about Africa?"

"There is little even on the Watchtower that I am unaware of. I have ears everywhere." Even through his mask J'onn could see the knowing look that Question gave him.

"That's why I need your help. I need to know exactly what Dr. Hugo Strange was injecting into his patients."

"That may take a little time. I propose we first go and ask him."

"I had the same thought. But I doubt he will give us a straight answer." J'onn finally turned to face Question.

"I tend to agree but a lot can be deciphered by what isn't said." Question brought a pad of paper and pencil out of his coat pocket. "When do we leave?"

* * *

As Dove walked through the rows of prison cells, the emotions he felt were deafening. The anger, ruthlessness, vengeance and hatred that he sensed from the inmates was escalating his own negative feelings. The ones he had been pushing away, refusing to acknowledge. Revenge was chief among them. As he made his way farther into the prison, he could feel the emotion growing stronger.

Along with anger, resentment and retribution, Dove's mind was filled with all the heroes who he was imprisoned with in Africa. He remembered all their suffering and he felt every single one of them die. The screams in his head got louder and louder as he made his way deeper into Blackgate Penitentiary. He stopped for a moment and leaned hard on his cane, hoping it would take his weight. His head pounded with an intensity he had never felt before. The guard who was walking with him noticed and backtracked to help him. Dove started panting from the pain. Despite that, he waved the guard away. The guard took a few steps back, making sure he remained close in case Dove needed him.

After a moment Dove took a deep breath in, the pain subsided. So, he willed himself to continue. Only one more section of the prison remained before he would reach his destination.

Dove didn't give himself time to think about his actions or to make an argument to justify what he was about to do. As the guard opened the gate to the solitary wing of the prison, Dove took a moment to readjust a thin plastic cylinder that lay discreetly inside his glove. The cylinder was big enough to hold a pressurized gas, but not large enough to be detected by the guards when Dove was pat down entering the prison. He spent a lot of money and had to put in a lot of effort to be able to get it, but everything he did to obtain this gas would be worth it in a few moments.

The guard walked Dove to the single cell at the end of a long narrow hallway. "The prisoner is behind this door."

Dove looked at him and hesitantly reached for the handle on the door as the guard took his badge out and swiped it against the key pad to the right of the door. "Thank you for allowing me to see him."

"No Dove, thank you. I owed you one. You saved my wife and boy last year during the attack from the Manhunters. If it wasn't for you and Green Lantern, I don't know where I would be today. So, don't mention it."

As the guard thanked him, Dove's mind cleared of all the negative thoughts and emotions. His face softened, and he gave the guard a small smile while patting him on the shoulder. Doubt started to come up in his mind, was he doing the right thing? Wasn't this guard and his family the reason he was Dove? No second guessing himself now was not an option. To fight off the ever-increasing doubt he was feeling he reached for the door handle and forced himself to pull the door open. He then pushed himself to go inside the small inner room.

Upon entering, he immediately searched the room for any visible sign of surveillance. Seeing none, he allowed himself a closer look at the accommodations for solitary confinement at Blackgate Penitentiary. A big glass wall stood out to him as he entered the room. It ran the length of the small room and it had a single rectangular opening, just large enough to give the prisoner a meal. The cell itself was filled only with what was essential. That included a single toilet, a bench with a thin mattress upon it and a small sink. Anything beyond that was not allowed in solitary confinement. Dove knew had there been anything else in the room, the prisoner would have found a way to use it to escape.

Dove's eyes scanned the small space until they landed on the man he came to see. He was sitting on the bed, hunched over as if asleep. Dove took a step forward and as soon as he did, the prisoner looked up and smiled. The smile was devoid of any sincerity and warmth. Instead it was shallow and filled with maliciousness.

"Why hello my little Dove."

His voice sent Dove into a cold sweat. Doctor Strange stood up and moved slowly toward the glass wall of his cell. Dove backed away, feeling anxious and scared. He was shaken more by his presence then he had anticipated. When Strange was close enough he made eye contact with Dove, that same menacing smile on his face. As Dove looked into his eyes, he was brought back to a dark room where he was tied down to a cold metal table.

 _The only voice he could hear was the Doctor's. The fear that he felt was a kind he had never before experienced. He heard Strange ask someone to prepare the needle and to strap down his legs. When he felt the straps come down on his right leg Dove's reflexes kicked in and he shoved the man away, planting his heel into his gut. The man backed away from him with a grunt. As he struggled to place his leg back on the table, he felt a sharp pain shoot down it. He reached down to hold onto the part of his leg that was aching only to find a syringe buried deep into his skin. The fluid that was in the syringe was a deep yellow color and it was already making its way into his leg. The injection site was quickly turning red and becoming swollen. Dove grabbed onto his leg with both hands, trying to fight the pain. A hand clamped down on his leg, pulling it back down to the table. Finally looking up, he saw that it was Strange. He was pushing the plunger all the way down so the rest of the fluid made its way into Dove's leg._

"The more you struggle the worse it will feel. Besides the quicker we get through this, the sooner I can get to that lovely cellmate of yours." Strange backed up into the darkness of the room.

Dove gritted his teeth from the pain. Anger rose up in his throat. His mouth was taut as he spoke, "Don't you dare touch her. Do what you want to me but leave her alone."

The response he got was not unexpected. All he heard was an eerie laughter rise from Strange's throat as he exited the room.

Bringing himself back to the present, Dove's anger was now fully visible. His hands were clenched so tightly they were visibly shaking. Redness was rising in his neck and face and sweat was starting to drip from his hairline. Before he could think about it, he pulled the small cylinder from his glove, opened the door in the small rectangular opening in the glass wall and pushed the button on the device. Just as he did a cloud of vaporized gas entered into Doctor Strange's cell.

As the cloud of gas entered his cell, Strange felt the sudden urge to cough. The attempt to cover his mouth was futile, he knew the gas had already entered his lungs. All of a sudden he felt a strange sensation in his chest. He tried to look back up at Dove only to see the room shaking around him. There was an erratic sound in his ears as he backed into the corner of the room. He realized it was him. His screams were so loud he barely recognized where they were coming from.

A moment later he saw them. A mob of shadowy figures were heading toward him, and he knew exactly why. When they were closer, he could almost make out their faces. The shaking in the room was making it hard to visibly identify his soon to be attackers, but he really didn't have too. He knew who they were and he knew why they were coming for him. They wanted to experiment on him and torture him as he had done to all of them over the years.

Finding the corner of the room, he slid down the wall, curled into a ball and yelled repeatedly for help.

"What's he doing? What happened to him?" The guard had rushed into the cell as soon as he heard a scream.

Dove feigned ignorance. "I don't know he just started yelling and then backed himself into the corner of the cell." The feeling for vengeance was the only thing that drove Dove to lie as blatantly as he did. But he no longer cared. He accomplished what he came to do and for the moment he felt no shame or remorse for doing it.

"What is he doing with his arms?" Dove looked back over at Strange and noticed him swat the air and cover his face with both his arms, as if to protect it from something. As Dove watched this he felt nothing. Not even a twinge of regret. Whatever Strange's worst fear was, Dove was sure it was enough to torture him and slowly drive him insane. The perfect revenge for a truly mad man.

* * *

"Wally, why don't you go home and get some rest. You have been here for days." Oliver lay beside Preston on the bed, his arms wrapped around her shoulders, holding her as tight as he could. "You can't possibly be getting any good sleep in that chair."

"I know I should. But Oliver I don't want to leave her again. I want to be here when she wakes up." Wally looked up from the chair on the opposite side of the bed that Oliver was on. Oliver nodded in understanding. "Be thankful your wife at least brought me a change of clothes, otherwise this would be a much smellier experience."

Oliver scrunched his nose, imagining what Wally said. This struck Wally as being very funny. At first, he let out a small snicker. That quickly turned into a loud chuckle. The comforting sound of his laughter made Oliver smile. As he watched Wally hold on to his sides because of pain from laughing too hard, Oliver couldn't help the guffaw that escaped his mouth. He tried desperately not to shake the bed, but he couldn't help but release his tension, stress and anxiety as he laughed.

Both he and Wally had been at the hospital for several days now, waiting for Preston to wake up. Her vitals were always good, but the fact that she hadn't woken yet was a constant concern for both of them. In addition to that, both men hadn't talked about the current situation they were in. Wally had pent up feelings from not only being without Preston for over a year, but he was also beating himself up for not talking to her when he had the chance.

Oliver on the other hand had buried his feelings about her being gone for so long. Every time he was with her he had to fight them from coming to the surface. The last thing she needed was to be buried knee deep in Oliver Queen's emotions.

All these emotions led to the current state they both found themselves in. Before they knew it, both men were laughing so much that tears were running down their faces. Oliver tried to gently move off the bed, but ended up falling off the side, which in turn made both he and Wally howl in laughter.

"I missed the sound of you laughing."

The voice was so low, Oliver almost didn't hear it over the sound of his own laughter. He forced himself to stop laughing and immediately stood up, turned around and looked down at the bed. When he did he saw Preston looking up at him with a small glimmer in her white eyes. Her soft smile was the most beautiful thing he had seen in days. "Hey gorgeous." He moved back onto the bed next to Preston and grabbed onto her hand, placing his other arm under her head as a pillow.

Wally had stopped laughing the moment he saw Oliver stand. Nervous, he sat back, somewhat out of view of Preston, so Oliver could have his time with her. He wanted to leave the room, give them privacy, but he couldn't do that without getting noticed. So, he decided to stay as still and quiet as possible as he ran over what he was going to say to her now that she was awake. The conversations he had with her while she was unconscious were raw and open.

Although he never told her his true feelings, the way he caressed her hands, the gentleness in his voice and the openness of his conversation revealed everything. But she was awake now. He wasn't sure how much she heard him the last few days, if she did at all. Somewhere deep inside he hoped that she hadn't. The last thing she needed right now was her best friend doing something stupid to ruin their friendship. He knew that she needed him, Flash, her best friend to help her through whatever was to come in the next few months. So, Wally decided then and there to keep his true feelings hidden. Right now, was not about him, it was about Preston and helping her to readjust to her new situation in life.

He shifted in his chair a little. His nerves were making him antsy and sweat was starting to drip down his back.

"Wally has been here the whole time." His head shot up when he heard his name and he looked over at the two people sitting on the bed. Redness was rising in his cheeks.

"Thank you, Wally." The sound of his name from Preston's lips made him feel weak at the knees. He was so thankful to be sitting down. Even though she had just woken up after a major surgery, had been tormented, abused and nearly dead, Preston looked as beautiful to him as she had the day he first met her at Café Jitters. He couldn't help but smile at her. She returned the smile and he could see a slight spark in her eyes when she looked at him.

"Wally come over here. My little girl is awake and asking for you." Oliver waved Wally to the bedside.

Preston and Wally kept their eyes on each other as he walked over to her on the bed. Her cheeks became flush as he reached the bed.

Oliver swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "I'm going to go let J'onn and Dinah know your awake. Be back in a few." Oliver winked at Wally on his way out. Wally never saw it because his eyes were glued on Preston.

"Hi." Wally sat on the bed next to Preston and placed his hand on hers.

"Hi."

"Preston. I…"

She stopped him by putting her fingers over his mouth. Closing her eyes, she relished in hearing her name for just a moment before removing her fingers and placing them on his cheek.

Suddenly Wally felt like he was in a dream. He was very nervous as he walked down a busy street. Examining his surroundings, he realized he was in Central City heading toward Café Jitters. This day was going to be special. The butterflies in his stomach told him so.

As he looked up at the entrance to the Café he recognized the man who stood twenty feet away. He was tall and muscular. His red hair was done in a short spikey style and his cheeks were covered in brown freckles. Wally was looking at himself. He furrowed his brow deep in thought. This was the day he met Preston for the first time after two years of only seeing each other on the Watchtower. But this isn't how he remembered it. He must have been seeing things through Preston's eyes.

A second after she saw him, he happened to glance her way and shot a warm smile in her direction. As he was seeing thing from Preston's perspective, Wally could feel his heart flutter when she noticed his striking green eyes. He approached and stuck his hand out. "Hi. I'm Wally West."

Wally involuntarily stuck his hand out to shake his own hand that had been offered to him. As he did so a small giggle escaped his lips. "I'm Preston Queen."

"Nice Flash shirt." Wally looked down at the shirt Preston had been wearing that day. Everything he saw was so vivid, like he was reliving the day bit by bit. As Wally stuck his arm out for Preston to take, Wally was pulled back into the recovery room in the infirmary.

What was that? That could not have just been a day dream. No, it was like nothing else he had ever experienced. For all intent and purposes, he was Preston, reliving the day they met. He was so confused.

"I haven't seen you since the day we met at Café' Jitters then went to the fair. But somehow I remember everything that happened that day." Preston gave him a weak but genuine smile.

Wally looked back at Preston, her hands were now back down on the bed. It seemed cupping his face in her hands had taken a lot of her strength. She leaned back in the bed, looking a little defeated. Did she just mention that day at Jitters? Did she have a flashback to it as well? Wally wanted to ask about it, but she looked so frail and weak and not up to much conversation. "I do too." Wally reassured her.

This made Preston's smile grow wider. She closed her eyes for a few moments.

Wally began to stand up. As he did, Preston grabbed onto his hand. His voice was laced with compassion. "You should get some rest."

Without saying a word, her eyes pleaded with him to stay. He looked at her sympathetically and sat down again on the bed.

* * *

"I'm just going to warn you, something happened to him earlier. Like he had a nervous breakdown or something. I dunno. But he ain't all right up there if you know what I mean." The prison guard motioned for both men to step inside the door to the single cell that was at the end of the long narrow hallway.

"Hmm suspicious. At what time did this occur?" Question wrote a few things down on his notepad then looked back up at the guard.

"I dunno. I just came on duty 'bout half an hour ago and they told me about it."

"Why don't you do go and find out for us. That's part of your job isn't it?" Question pushed the guard away from them and toward the long hallway and made his way into the small room, slowly followed by Jon. "State employees can't get anything done. Just another part of the conspiracy."

"Question look at this." J'onn moved closer to the glass wall. Question followed his line of sight only to see curled up in the far corner of the cell, the shell of the man who use to be known as Doctor Hugo Strange.

"My god, what's happened to him?" The shock in Question's voice was apparent. He could count on one hand the number of things that had surprised him in his life. This was now among them.

"It appears he may be having a mental breakdown. Watch his arms. He seems to be fighting something off." J'onn was now very concerned, but not with the man who was falling to pieces in front of him. But rather he was concerned for Preston. This was the only person who knew what was done to her.

For the moment it seemed like his investigation would have to end here. He turned to leave the room, when Question grabbed onto his arm, holding him in place.

"Wait a moment. Not all hope is lost." Question moved closer to the glass. "There may some truths in whatever he is muttering. Trust no one and take note of everything." He put his ear to the glass and feverishly wrote on his notepad.

While Question took notes, J'onn thought about what may have happened. He recognized the symptoms that Doctor Strange was exhibiting. J'onn had seen them before on many occasions.

"Fear gas. It's a potent devil. It induces involuntary and irrational fears in the mind of those exposed to it. Eventually it drives them insane." Question voiced exactly what J'onn was thinking.

"Yes, I recognize it."

"The question now is, who had access to this cell to administer the gas?"

J'onn felt the knot in the pit of stomach tighten. There was only one other person beside Bruce, Question and himself who knew that Strange was being kept here. J'onn didn't want to believe that He was guilty of doing something like this, after all he was a pacifist. But the facts couldn't be denied. And that included the fact that J'onn is the one who told him where to find Doctor Strange.


	12. Chapter 11

**You can't expect a bit of hope  
And while you're outside looking in  
Describing what you see  
Remember what you're staring at is me  
'Cause I'm looking at you through the glass  
Don't know how much time has passed  
All I know is that it feels like forever  
When no one ever tells you that forever feels like home  
Sitting all alone inside your head**

"Careful, Careful." Wally held onto Preston's hand and placed his other hand on her back to steady her. "We aren't in a hurry you know."

Preston let out a small snort and gave Wally a knowing look. "You are always in a hurry."

"I know. But we can't rush this."

Preston took another step forward and winced in pain. Her words came out with a grunt. "I know but I just want to go home already." She sighed, feeling a bit defeated. Her arm shook as she held on to the rail of the hospital bed. Wally noticed her hand trembling against his own. His brow furrowed in worry. She seemed to sense his concern. "I'm ok. My body is just adjusting to everything, I think." Her body was in shock and she knew it. Part of her spine had just been replaced a little over a week ago and before that her body had undergone an unspeakable trauma.

Try as she might, she wasn't able to rid her mind of the feelings she experienced as she lay on the cold floor of the laboratory, dying. She could still feel the warmth of the blood that surrounded her. Her wings, which lay a few feet away from her, called to her. They haunted her dreams. Sleep eluded her these days. She was ready to get past this. To do this she made a promise to herself to push as hard as she needed, to do whatever she needed, to get back out there. To help people again. It was her hope that doing that would make the nightmares disappear.

Wally noticed the firm look of determination on Preston's face. He knew what that look meant too. And it made him nervous. Preston was someone who wanted to help everyone and everything that needed it. Even though she had been through a horrible ordeal, he knew that part of her would never change. But he wasn't sure now how far she would take that desire. He was worried about her emotional state. So far, he had seen no visible evidence that she was working through everything. And that scared him.

Since the night of her surgery, while she was unconscious, Wally promised her that he would look after her and take care of her no matter what. He lost her once and he refused to again. After seeing the look of determination on her face, he knew it was going to be a hard road ahead, for both of them.

"So, I have been hiding something from you." Wally moved to hold her around the waist, noticing her balance was becoming more unstable with each step she took.

Preston's breath caught in her throat at feeling Wally's arm tighten around her. The warmth of his touch reminded her of how much she had missed him. In Africa she had spent much of her time imagining moments like this. They kept her going. But every time she imagined spending time with Wally she couldn't help but have a sneaking suspicion that she was in love with an illusion, an idealized memory of him. A dream.

But now, as he held onto her, Preston felt all that apprehension melt away. The feelings she had were real. In fact, being with him now made her realize they were stronger then she had remembered.

"Bruce told me there isn't any reason you need to stay here. They ran all the tests they needed and are continuing to research other options…" He struggled to find the words to complete his thought.

"To keep me alive?"

Wally looked down at her, his expression one of melancholy. He squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. You have the best minds in the universe working on it."

She smiled at him sympathetically. While she knew that what he said was true, and she believed that Ray Palmer, J'onn and Bruce would do everything in their power to help her, she wasn't sure this was something that could be fixed. Her doubt wasn't in their abilities. It was in her own.

"So, let's get you changed then I can take you home."

"Oh did Dinah bring me a change of clothes?"

"Yeah while you were getting some bloodwork done." Wally made sure she was stable holding on to the bar on the side of the bed before rushing over to the bag that Dinah had brought. He rifled through it until he found exactly what he was looking for. "I think she packed too many options. But there is always this." He held a t-shirt up for her to see. It was her Flash shirt. They both blushed at the sight of it.

"That's perfect."

Wally laid it on the bed alongside a pair of sweatpants. "Are you going to be ok? Or do you need help with this?"

As Preston slowly made her way over to where the clothes lay, for half a second she considered getting help to get dressed. But the idea was quickly and stubbornly dismissed. "I think I will be fine." With her back to him, she started to remove the gown, giving Wally a glimpse of her back.

His mouth gaped open and he flinched as if in pain when he saw it. A scar ran the entire length of her spine. It was bright pink in color and was over two centimeters wide. Either side of her spine was swollen and heavily bruised.

After letting out a deep breath, trying to take it all in, he noticed something missing on both her shoulder blades. He unknowingly reached out and ran his finger across them.

"Wally?"

When he heard his name he quickly retracted his hand. "Sorry. Let me know when you are finished." With that he ran out of the room, embarrassed.

* * *

Hank raised his hand to knock on the door to his brother's apartment. He had a key, but after the last discussion they had, he thought it better to let Don know he was there instead of letting himself in. Right before his knuckles could touch the door, it opened away from him. "Oh, your home." He smiled at his brother. The smile immediately turned into a concerned frown when he got a good look at Don. His face was paler then it had ever been, and his cheeks looked slightly sunken in. From the look of it, he hadn't slept in days. As he entered the apartment he felt compelled to put his arm around his brother. He wasn't sure if he did this to make sure Don wouldn't fall over from being weak or because he felt so bad for him he didn't know what else to do. "Don, are you ok? Don't take this the wrong way but you look like shit."

After the words left his mouth, Don shoved Hank away from him and made his way into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. After a few seconds retching could be heard from behind the closed door. Following that Hank heard Don flush the toilet then slump down to the floor. He ran to the bathroom and frantically knocked on the door.

"Don, let me in. Don!"

"It's not locked." Don's voice was very low.

Hank almost knocked the door off its hinge rushing into the bathroom. He crouched down next to Don and rubbed his back as Don leaned back over the toilet and threw up again. Hank felt helpless. He had no idea what was going on. All he could think to do was grab the towel from above the sink and wet it. After Don was finished, Hank sat him back down on the floor and wiped his mouth off. Don just looked up at him with a blank stare. As he sat down next to his brother, Hank noticed Don's leg. It was swollen from the knee down and was covered in large red sores. He leaned in to get a closer look.

"Don, this doesn't look good. Is this what's making you sick? We need to get you to Ray."

Hank almost couldn't make out his brother's response. "No. I can't see Palmer."

"What? There is obviously something wrong with you, Don. Come on, I can take you. My car is downstairs."

Hank started to lift his brother, but Don struggled against him. He could tell he was getting agitated. "Hank stop!"

Speaking that loudly seemed to use a lot of Don's energy, but he needed his brother to listen to him.

Shocked Hank put Don back down on the cold bathroom tile and slid down next to him. "What is it? Why can't we get you some help?"

Anxiousness and worry could be detected in Don's words. "Ray can't help me."

"Sure he can. He is the best doctor I know."

Don glared at Hank knowingly. "He isn't a doctor."

"He has a Ph. D!"

"In physics you idiot."

"Well either way I'm sure he can help you."

"Trust me he can't. I did something Hank." Don's voice lowered as he continued to speak. "I did something. And I can never forgive myself for it."

Hank looked at his brother with sympathy. "You're the best man that I know so I doubt that's true."

"I use to be. Africa changed everything. I keep hearing them and seeing them suffering and dying all around me."

"Who?" Hank was not known for being a good listener, but this was his brother. The man he cared about more then anyone else. And he could tell he was suffering. He wanted to know what was going on, so he could do whatever he could to help him return to the man he once knew. The man whom he looked up to. He missed his brother.

"Hank I couldn't help them. Worst of it is, I was unable to protect Aero. I should have been able to do something at least for her. We were in the same cell together and I had to watch her be dragged off to god knows what kind of horrors. And I did nothing!"

"But Don, she's ok. You said so yourself."

"I lied. She no longer has the ability to fly and without that the only way she is staying alive is by getting injections every few days. So essentially, she is slowly dying."

"Pessimistic much?"

"No. I'm finally being realistic. What's the point in staying positive and putting your hope in beings like us when we can be broken? Look at me! My leg will never function properly again, no matter what I do. I can't fight like this. Who is going to trust a gimp superhero to save their lives?"

"Don I think you are missing the point of being a superhero."

"Hank after what I have done I don't deserve to be one anymore."

Hank moved so he was sitting on the floor facing his brother. "Look at me. What did you do?"

* * *

"I didn't know you had a car." Preston let go of Wally's hand after he had helped her into the front seat of the car. "I just figured you ran everywhere."

Wally scratched the back of his head after sliding in to the seat next to her. He put the keys in the ignition. "Yeah I got it a few years back. I meant to take you for a spin in it. But you." He hesitated. "Disappeared."

"I'm so sorry Wally. I didn't mean to hurt you." Preston's head hung low and she refused to bring her eyes up to meet his.

Those words. They were the same ones he heard her say during her surgery. He heard them all around him in a dark room while he was strapped to a cold metal table. But, she didn't say them. Her voice was all around him. Or was it just a dream, or maybe a hallucination. Whatever it was, he heard those exact words before. "I know. You already apologized, and you didn't need to."

Preston looked up at him, puzzled. She placed her hand on his as he began to turn the engine over. The look on her face made him pause. He pulled the keys back out and turned to look at her. "What is it?"

"Wally I haven't apologized yet for what happened, and I want to."

"Trust me, you don't need to." He said curtly. He didn't mean for anger to be heard in his voice. It wasn't directed at her. It was the whole situation. And it was mainly directed at himself for not trusting her. Trust that his best friend would never do anything to hurt him.

Preston winced at his tone. But she sensed it wasn't meant for her. Before she went any farther she needed to ask. "What do you mean I already apologized?"

"Oh nothing. Just a dream I had I guess."

Preston's brow furrowed in concentration. "Tell me about it. Please."

Wally sighed heavily. "I was outside of the infirmary when your surgery started. Bruce was telling me all about it." This felt silly, telling her about a dream he had. He had had so many nightmares lately, this one wasn't any different. Deciding not to go into any more details then were necessary he said. "Then I heard you talking. And you said exactly what you said right now. 'I'm so sorry, Wally. I didn't mean to hurt you.' I swear I heard it like you were in the room with me."

Preston sat back in her chair, surprised. Wally noticed. "What is it?"

"I don't know yet."

Wally decided not to push it. Preston had already done a lot today and he could tell she was exhausted. Besides he knew they both had unresolved feelings about her mission. Once they got settled in at the Queen Mansion, if it came up again, they could revisit this conversation. Wally put the key back into the ignition, started the car and slowly started to drive.

The Mansion did not have a direct teleporter to the Watchtower, so Jon had asked Wally to take Preston through the closest one located in the Hall of Justice, right outside of Star City. As Wally entered the Star City limits, he took a second to glance over at Preston. She was picking at her nails nervously and her expression was unreadable.

"Don't stress about it, we can talk about it later. Right now, we need to get you home and settled." Wally shifted into 4th gear, allowing himself to go a few miles over the recommended speed limit.

Preston sighed unhappily. "Wally. Why did you run?"

He knew exactly what she was asking about. How could he forget the night he first saw her again after all that time apart? It was still fresh in his memory. And because it wasn't that long ago, he could tell it was at the forefront of hers too.

How could he tell her he was mad at her for leaving, when he now knew it wasn't her fault. And after all she went through to be able to help others out. He couldn't tell her the real reason. He was too ashamed of it. "I don't know because running is what I do best?"

She was disappointed in his answer, he could see it in her demeanor. To be honest he was disappointed in himself. Not just for his response but how he had acted. He hoped one day she could forgive him for being so foolish.

* * *

As Martian Manhunter walked through the corridor of the lower level of the Watchtower he could sense someone coming up behind him. Batman had a more commanding presence then anyone else he knew. Often, he would sense him the moment he stepped foot on the Watchtower. His confidence alone could be read from a sector away.

But lately what Martian Manhunter read from him was different. His wall of confidence had been chipped away at and his emotions, which normally would be buried deep in his psyche, were fighting to be released. This saddened the Martian but so did the way he personally had changed. He knew both he and Batman felt they no longer had the confidence to lead. But while Batman seemed hopeless, he kept a glimmer of it alive.

The progress Preston was making was the main reason for his hope. While they still had not solved the mystery of a permanent way to keep her alive, they seemed to be on the right track. The most important thing was she was now home and safe with the best family in the world looking after her. And she had the best people in the Universe working non-stop to help her gain her strength and find a permanent solution to all Strange had done to her.

Despite Preston's own doubts in the matter, Martian Manhunter knew that she would be able to find herself and once again feel whole.

"Preston arrived at home just a few hours ago. Wally is with her right now. I'm sure you have been monitoring her progress even though you had not come to see her the whole week she was here." J'onn had noticed occasionally, he too had trouble keeping his emotions reigned in. He had not meant to sound so patronizing.

Batman raised his eyebrow in slight disapproval. "Yes, I have." He spat out. "But she has not been the only one I have been monitoring. Hugo Strange has had a few visitors. Do you know anything about this?" His tone said he already knew the answer.

"I have gone to visit him, and the Question accompanied me."

"Were you going to inform me about this?"

"To be honest, I was not. It was a personal investigation."

"That's why Question joined you, because it was personal?"

J'onn could not tell if Batman was speaking out of anger, offense or desperation. "I needed someone who was skilled at interrogation. I pondered doing it myself, entering his mind. But I didn't think I would be able to handle what I might see." His head dropped, and he brought his hands up to cover his face. The words were muffled through his hands. "Bruce, I had already seen her on the floor, covered with blood and broken. I just didn't want to see her…"

Batman took the few steps forward that separated him from his Martian friend. He reached up and clutched onto his arms. This sudden release of emotion surprised him.

"J'onn, its ok. I understand." He had never seen J'onn break down like this. Honestly, he couldn't even begin to understand. J'onn saw something he should never have seen, and Batman wasn't just thinking about Preston. J'onn had witnessed so many of his loved ones die before his eyes. While Batman had experienced this a few times, it was nothing compared to what J'onn had seen.

Thankfully Batman had not seen Preston as she lay dying in that horrible laboratory. He knew what he would have done if he had. But he didn't. While he had to watch her go through everything since then, he knew he would never be able to relate to what J'onn was going through.

J'onn had a much better grip on who he was and how he felt about this then Bruce would ever have. Being a creature of habit, Bruce always retreated into denial. But J'onn had just called him on it. He had no excuse for it. No matter how guilty and disappointed he felt, he had no right to stay away from Preston to protect himself. "I know I have been, unavailable, this past week."

J'onn placed a hand on one of Batman's and tapped it gently. "I understand. But I don't think she would object to seeing you. She had requested your presence a few times while she was here."

Batman nodded in understanding then stepped back to gain his composure. "Back to my earlier question. Why did you go see Strange?"

Martian Manhunter looked straight at Batman, a renewed confidence could be read on his face. "I should have come to you about this sooner. Preston was injected with something when she was imprisoned. You know from her reports that he had been experimenting with powers. He wasn't just removing them. But he had found a way to isolate their compounds an inject them into others. Preston and I have had a few telepathic exchanges. I have come to believe that Strange had injected her with the telepathy from another superhero, one who probably died when this was removed from them. I sought out Strange to get answers. To know exactly what he did to her."

Batman was taken aback, rendered speechless for the moment. After the initial shock wore off, he was able to find his voice. His words came out hoarsely. "Are you saying Preston is telepathic now?"

"I am uncertain. That's why I had to see Hugo Strange."

Batman gulped. "And were you able to get any answers out of him?"

J'onn looked away from him, a feeling of guilt washing over him. "No. He is incapable of giving us any answers." He paused for a moment. Looking back up at Batman, he could tell he knew what he was about to say.

"Yes. I would imagine so. It seems he was hit with a potent dose of fear gas." Batman blew out the breath he had been holding in. "I know you very well J'onn, but this has been a trying time for all of us. Did you…?" He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

J'onn shook his head to imply he was not the one who was guilty of this. 'But,' he thought to himself. 'I might as well have.'

* * *

"So, every other day I will take you over to Bruce's house to get your injections. And remember what Ray said, plenty of rest and Netflix." Wally ran around the room quickly getting things arranged so Preston could be fully comfortable.

"I'm pretty sure he didn't say Netflix."

"Oh really? That's what I heard." He chuckled and ran back to Preston grabbed her hands and slowly walked her the rest of the way into the room. "Seriously though. Please try to remember you just had a major surgery. Preston," his voice became very soft. "You almost died. Please be careful. I don't want to lose my best friend." He almost said again, but he didn't want to make her feel guilty in anyway.

What did she do to deserve him? He truly was the best friend a girl could have. And until she could prove herself again, that's all she would allow herself to think of him as. "I will. But Wally, I want to get stronger again. I need to. I want to help people again. It makes me who I am."

"I know and trust me when I say that no one understands that better than I do."

"Then can you make me a promise?"

Wally looked at her, unsure.

"Please train me again." Wally's head shook back and forth furiously. "Wait don't say no. Let me finish. I know I'm not strong enough now. But I will be."

Wally took a moment to think about the request. He walked her over to the bed and sat down beside her on it. As he looked at her, he chewed on his bottom lip, nervously. "I don't know. I do understand where you're coming from. Besides, how do we know when you're ready?"

She shrugged. "I think I will just know."

Wally patted her leg. "Ok I promise." He brought his hand up near his face, his pinky facing outward toward her.

After a moment she realized what he was doing and let a small giggle as she reciprocated the action. "Wow a pinky swear. It's been awhile."

"Hey this pinky is my John Hancock."

Preston shook her head, amused. "Oh really? Well I expect you to keep it."

Wally felt a warm sensation in his chest. He had made Preston laugh and smile. It made his heart swell to know he could still do that. "Will you be ok by yourself for a bit? Oliver and Dinah won't be home for a few hours."

"Your leaving?"

Wally detected a hint of sadness in her voice. "I just need to go a grab a few things from my apartment."

"Wait, your staying here?" Her voice became tender.

"Is that ok? I thought it would be better. I told you I wanted to help as much as I could with your recovery and this seemed like the best way."

Preston could not help the smile that was creeping into her cheeks and the twinkle that shone in her eye. It seemed she not only smiled with her eyes and her lips but her spirit as well.

* * *

Hank picked Don up off the couch and carried him into his room, gently laying him on the bed. He laid a heavy blanket over him, knowing he would need it after spending most of the day being sick. It was still Hank's instinct to call Ray Palmer in, but after what Don had told him, he knew it wouldn't make a difference.

He was still in shock, but he made himself push past it because his brother needed his sympathy and any comforting words he could give him. Hank had not realized how much he envied his brother until Don needed a skill that between the two of them, only he possessed. The ability to comfort others and make them know everything was going to be ok was Don's specialty. Hank didn't have a clue how to do that. He talked with his fists, not his feelings. If their situation was reversed, Hank would be bragging about what he had done, not hiding it. And he certainly wouldn't let the guilt from it make him sick. But he wasn't the one who did it. Don was. And while secretly Hank was happy he did, he knew Don would never forgive himself. And until he found someone or something to take his focus off this, Don would continue to beat himself up over it.

Just as Hank was closing the door to Don's room, he heard a quiet knock on the front door. He glanced down at the clock. Who was coming to see Don at 2 a.m.?

He quickly made his way to the door, so the next knock would not wake his brother. Opening the door, he saw a green Martian standing on the other side of the threshold.

"J'onn. What are you doing here so late?"

"Hank Hall. I have come to see your brother."

"It's 2 a.m."

"Oh I apologize. I was unaware of the time." J'onn looked around the apartment, a troubled look on his face. "Is he available?"

"Look J'onn, he has had a very long day. He's asleep."

"I would not normally ask this, but I need to speak with him. It's urgent."

Hank couldn't believe this. Who did J'onn think he was coming in here and demanding to see his brother? He stepped closer to Jon and looked him straight in the eye. "Look I was trying to be nice, but you need to leave and come back another time. Don needs to get some sleep."

J'onn could tell Hank was hiding something from him. He refused to read his mind, instead he took a wild stab in the dark. "It's about Doctor Hugo Strange."

Hank who had his hands balled into fists, slowly released them and backed off J'onn. "Oh."

"Like I mentioned, it's urgent."

Hank shook his head, an absent look on his face. "Right. Right. He is in his room. Go on in."

J'onn thanked him and phased through the bedroom door. When he entered he immediately sensed the emotional struggle Don was going through. It was so thick in the room that Jon felt like his lungs were on fire. He struggled to breathe as he moved toward the bed. Don was restless. Sweat was visible on his skin and a small whimper came from his lips. As he tossed and turned, J'onn moved closer, debating how to wake him.

As soon as J'onn's leg hit the side of the bed, Don suddenly sat up. He looked up at J'onn, fear, guilt and sadness in his eyes. J'onn reached down and embraced him. Don reached up and wrapped his arms around the Martian, and let the tears fall, soaking J'onn's green skin.


	13. Chapter 12

**And I'll be around** **  
** **Only if you want me to** **  
** **Be there by your side** **  
** **I'm ready for you** **  
** **And I'll be around** **  
** **Cause I know what you're going through** **  
** **So when you think its time** **  
** **I'm ready for you**

Preston felt like she was twelve years old again. She hated this. Oliver use to make her sit and wait in the car a lot as a kid. And now she found herself doing it again, twelve years later.

But this time she was forced to stay in the car for a completely different reason. Oliver thought she needed to get a little fresh air and get out for a bit. Preston was thrilled with the prospect of going on an excursion with her father. Dinah had packed a few snacks for them before they left. Oliver promised to take her to the park and sit and eat in their favorite spot, a patch of grass that set under a willow tree overlooking the pond. But they hadn't made it there yet. Oliver wanted to make a stop first. And he told Preston that he didn't want to tire her out before their lunch date, so she was forced to stay in the car.

Was this how it was going to be now? She refused to be treated with kid gloves. Yes, she was healing and yes, her injuries had been extensive. But this was not an excuse to take it easy. She looked at it as a chance to push herself and be the hero she had always wanted to be. She wanted to prove to not only herself but everyone she loved that she could be a hero without her wings.

With that thought being foremost in her mind she anxiously looked around for something to do. Then out of the corner of her eye she saw something. She quickly turned her head in that direction to see a man in a convenience store holding a gun up to the cashier, while another man in a masked beanie was pulling things off the shelves.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Preston opened the car door quickly. She stepped a foot out of the car then leaned back in. Desperately she opened the glove box, in search for something to hide her identity. As she rummaged through everything, she suddenly felt a soft leather fabric against her pinky. She pulled on the object. A wave of triumph washed over her as she saw that the object was a spare mask of Green Arrow's.

Immediately she squeezed the contacts out of her eyes and stuck the mask on her face. As soon as she knew it would stay, she stepped back out of the car and made her way over to the store.

Her first steps were hard but with excitement and adrenaline pushing her it seemed to get easier. As she opened the door to the store, she focused her thoughts on the gun in the perpetrators hand. With just a thought, the gun flew out of his hand and landed several feet away from him. His head whipped around to look at Preston.

"What the f…" Before he could finish the words, Preston was picking him up off the floor with her thoughts.

Suddenly, his partner flung himself at her. She felt a sting in her left shoulder, which made her drop the other guy to the ground. Focusing on the other man, Preston shot him with a beam from her eyes. He was now incapacitated.  
She took a moment to look at her shoulder, thankfully it wasn't a deep cut. Despite that she began to feel weak. The adrenaline that had been driving her was quickly wearing off. Knowing she needed to incapacitate the other perpetrator before she lost her strength, she looked down at where she had dropped him. He was grumbling on the floor holding his leg in noticeable pain.

Satisfied that he was down for the count, she turned her attention to the cashier. "Call. The. Police." Her breathing had become so heavy she was barely able to get the words out.

After she confirmed the cashier was on the phone with the police, she stumbled out of the store. Her vision was becoming blurry and she felt extremely light headed. But she needed to get back to the car. As she stepped foot onto the street, the dizziness became too much, and she let herself fall to the ground.

* * *

Oliver walked back onto the sidewalk and headed toward where he parked the car. He felt bad for taking so long, but it couldn't be helped. As he neared the car, he sensed something wasn't right. Approaching the car, it didn't take him long to realize that Preston wasn't where he left her. He immediately became uneasy and started to look around the area. His concern was making him so frantic he didn't notice the small group of civilians that was gathering in the middle of the street until he heard someone in that direction shout for help. His attention turned to the group. He ran over as quickly as possible, his anxiety rising with every step.

As he pushed through the small crowd, his fear was escalating. Then as he saw the reason for the gathering crowd, his stomach dropped. Preston lay in the middle of the street, unconscious. He began to shout her name, but quickly realized she had a mask on. What had she done?

Unwilling to out his daughter as the girl under the mask, he ran to her without saying a word. He knelt down and picked her head up, placing it on his knees. That's when he noticed the injury. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear.  
"Preston, what did you do baby?"

Knowing he needed to get her help as quick as possible, Oliver lifted the pinky on his right hand revealing a ring with a Green Arrow engraved on it. On the side of the ring was a small button. Oliver pushed it and waited.

In a little under a minute, the Flash came running up to the crowd. He gently pushed people aside, knowing the beacon from Oliver's ring was coming from just a few steps up ahead. After the crowd cleared away from him, his breath caught in his throat as he saw Oliver cradling Preston in his arms. She looked so frail as her body leaned on Oliver's beefy physique.

Oliver looked up at him and waved him closer. "Flash. Help!" He yelled this loud enough for the crowd to hear. But as Flash leaned in closer he whispered. "Wally take her home as quickly as possible."

All Flash could do was nod as Preston was transferred into his arms.

* * *

Preston winced as she tried to sit up. She let a whimper escaper her lips as she struggled to prop herself up on her elbows.

"Careful. You are really weak and the cut on your shoulder is starting to get infected." As if to prove her point, Dinah placed a slightly damp cloth on Preston's shoulder, and Preston moaned at the sting she felt from the application. "Sorry but you deserved that." Dinah looked down at Preston and deeply sighed. She brought her hand up to cup Preston's cheek then brushed a hair off her face. "What were you thinking? Did you think just because Wally has been training you for a few weeks now that you were ready to go out and be a hero?" Preston looked at Dinah, stunned. Dinah gave her a knowing look. "You think I didn't know about the training? You might fool Oliver but give me a little more credit than your father."

Preston scooted up against the beds headboard and grabbed onto Dinah's hand. "Please don't be disappointed in me."

"Oh sweetie, I could never be disappointed in you. You are the strongest and most amazing woman I know."

"I don't feel like it."

Dinah pushed Preston over a little and laid down beside her. "Preston we will never be disappointed in you, no matter what. I can't imagine what you have been through. You must know that we all admire what you did. It takes a special person to be willing to sacrifice everything, family, friends and true love." Dinah and Preston looked at each other and smiled at those words. "And you sacrificed it without a second thought because you wanted to help others. I only know a handful of people who would be willing to do that, even though all of us would like to think we would. But you need to feel good about yourself. You have to get over this disappointment you have in yourself. And no one can do that for you. But don't, for one second, think going out there and fighting is going to prove anything else except that you aren't ready yet."

"I tend to agree with Dinah."

Both women looked up at the man who stood at the door. In an instant Dinah's demeanor went from being a loving mother to an overprotective lioness. She spit out her words. "Bruce, what brings you by?" Dinah sat up on the bed and patted Preston on the leg. She could tell by the look Bruce gave her, he wanted to be alone with Preston. He owed it to her after all.

"Well, nice seeing you." Dinah stood up and walked to the doorway where Bruce was lingering. "Don't take to long to visit next time." She mumbled angrily under her breath to him.

Right before exiting the room she looked back at Preston, still sitting up in the bed. "Call me if you need anything. I will just be downstairs." She smiled at Preston then glared at Bruce before leaving.

* * *

"Are you here to chastise me?" Preston kept her eyes downcast, afraid of the disapproval of the man who now stood next to her bed.

Bruce cleared his throat and sat on the bed next to her. "No. I don't have any right to do that after the way I have acted."

Preston's head shot up at those words. She looked at Bruce, her brows furrowed with confusion. "What are you talking about? You have done nothing but help me. Bruce," she moved closer to him and put her head on his shoulder. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here right now."

"If only that were true." He reached down and firmly held on to her hand, intertwining her small fingers with his own. "I didn't mean to avoid you these past few weeks." He shook his head. "No Preston I forget you know me better then that. I was purposely avoiding you. I should have never sent you on that mission. It's my fault you have had to go through all of this." He squeezed her hand tightly as if willing himself to give her strength.

She squeezed his hand in return. "Bruce there is no need for this guilt. You asked me to go on this mission and I agreed, you didn't force me."

Bruce snorted. "Preston, I knew when I asked you that you wouldn't say no. Since you were young you have always sought my approval and would do anything I asked to get it. I was banking on that when I chose you for the mission. I swear though if I had known what was going to happen to you, I would have never asked you to go." He dropped her hand and pulled his up to cover his face.

Seeing him like this made Preston feel the weight of guilt on her own shoulders. She needed to convince him it wasn't his fault. After all she was the one who made the decision to not only go on the mission, but also to infiltrate Strange's facility. Why hadn't she seen the burden of Bruce's guilt before?

He was right, she knew him very well. Disappointment flooded over her as she realized how long he had been suffering through this. And she hadn't noticed. In that moment she resolved to take all his guilt on and couple it with her own.

At the time the decision she had made in Africa seemed liked the right thing to do. If only she had known that it would have lasting affects on everyone she ever loved.

Willing herself to hold back the tears that were at the brink of revealing themselves, she turned herself to look at Bruce. She pulled his hands away from his face and held them in her own. "Bruce, it's ok." Preston knew Bruce needed to hear the next words out of her mouth, regardless if he was at fault or not. "I forgive you."

He looked up at her, a small smile on his face. Leaning forward, he kissed her on the cheek then whispered in her ear. "Thank you."

As he moved back to his spot on the bed, his phone rang. He pulled the cellphone out of his pocket to glance at it. "It's J'onn. I'm sorry I have to get this."

Preston nodded as Bruce exited the room.

* * *

"Question has made some progress deciphering what Doctor Strange had said. We believe it will help us come up with a new way to treat Preston. Seems he had been working on something to counteract missing powers. It is made up primarily of an isogenic enzyme and a few other nutrients that we are unsure of yet. Question is still trying to analyze everything, but apparently Strange had already given it a name, Ketracel. As far as we can tell, she would still be dependent on the chemical, but she would need far less injections, and it would keep her out of constant pain." J'onn paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I know we would like nothing more then to end her constant suffering."

J'onn could hear Bruce's sigh of relief over the phone. "Thank you, J'onn. I will be there shortly."

"They found something?" Oliver came around the corner from behind where Bruce was standing. Bruce glanced over his shoulder at him as he put his phone back in his pocket.

He turned around to face Oliver. "Yes, they think we are close to something."

Oliver's head dropped, and his voice become low. "Thank you."

"Excuse me?" Bruce wasn't sure he had heard him correctly.

"God, Bruce don't make me repeat it." Oliver looked up at him. He grumbled something under his breath.

"I didn't hear you." Bruce wore a serious expression on his face.

"I said thank you. And…" Oliver extended his hand out to Bruce. "I'm sorry."

Bruce placed his hand in Oliver's and gripped it firmly. "No Oliver, I am."

Oliver chuckled. "We can go back and forth arguing over who is sorrier, another day. Today I want to tell you how much I appreciate you doing so much to help Preston."

"If it wasn't for me she wouldn't have to go through all of this."

"Bruce, we both know that's not true. She would have gone on the mission regardless what any of us had to say about it. I know that because I tried to stop her, and I couldn't. There is no one to blame in this situation except for the bastard who hurt her and thankfully he is locked up. Bruce, you saved her life, gave her a fighting chance."

"Oliver I love Preston and would do, and will do anything to keep her safe."

Oliver patted him on the shoulder. "I know and that's why I love you."

Both men smiled at each other and started down the stairs. "Tell Dinah I'm sorry. I have the feeling she's upset at me."

Oliver snickered. "When isn't she?"

They stayed silent for the last few minutes before reaching the door to the mansion. After Oliver opened the door for Bruce he took a step forward and enveloped him in a hug. Bruce was taken aback, but he put his arms around the man anyway. Since when had he gone this soft? From the moment he let Preston into his life. And as he and Oliver shared a quick but meaningful, manly hug, he was thankful for it.

* * *

Preston's breathing became quick and heavy as she looked at everyone who lay on the beds in front of her. From behind her she could hear his laugh, one that was so deep and guttural it made her skin crawl. She knew she had to hurry if she wanted to save them.

As she ran to the first bed, she tripped over something big. With a fearful glance down, Preston found Dinah laying on the floor by her feet. Her throat was cut open and her hair dripped with blood. Vacant eyes stared into the space around them. Preston screamed as loud as she could, kneeled down and gently picked up Dinah's head. She stroked her cheek tenderly. "No. Please no."

Knowing she didn't have much time left, she continued her path to the bed. As she neared it she reached her hand out and used her mind to unlock the straps on the side of the bed. But as she approached the bed she once again realized she was too late.

Looking down at Bruce, dead on the bed, Preston allowed herself to let the tears that she was holding back freely fall down her face. She kissed him on the forehead, letting a few tears fall on the gunshot wound that ran through his entire head.

She didn't have to go to the other beds to know what she would find there. She knew they were all dead.

Again, from behind her, she heard him laugh. The laugh was one she easily recognized because it kept her awake every night she was in Africa. Doctor Strange seemed to be getting closer. Preston searched around desperately for somewhere to hide.

Out of the darkness of the room a hand reached out and grabbed onto hers pulling her down toward the floor and behind a table. She panicked.

"Shh, Preston it's ok, it's me."

His voice filled her with a new sense of hope. "Wally?! Your ok? How are you ok?"

Wally quickly ran his hands over his chest, examining himself for injuries. "Yeah I guess I am. What's going on? Where are we?"

"This is the facility I was in when I was imprisoned in Africa. This must be a dream."

"Are we having the same dream?"

"No, Wally. You're in my dream."

Wally opened his mouth to say something then quickly closed it, dumbfounded. He shook it off. "Ok I have a few comments to make. One, this is not a dream, it's a nightmare. And two, how is this even possible?"  
Just as he asked that, they both heard heavy footsteps outside of the room. Wally could see the fear rise in Preston's eyes. "It's ok. It's just a dream, remember?"

She nodded at him.

"Can you get us out of here? Maybe somewhere less panic inducing?"

Preston closed her eyes and with just a thought they were both suddenly pulled into a white room.

"Well this is cozy." They both stood up and Wally faced Preston and took her hands in his and stoked them with his thumbs. "He can't hurt you anymore."

"I know. But I see him every night."

"I'm so sorry." Wally leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Come on, sit down and tell me how I am able to be in your dream with you, take your mind off things."

"So Strange injected me with extra powers."

"What?"

"I didn't think anything of it at the time. I wasn't even sure that's what the injection was. Dove had gotten a few himself and he wasn't manifesting any extra powers, so I figured we both were given something else. It was only after J'onn and I had shared a dream that we both realized I must have been given the power of telepathy."

"Wow your telepathic now?"

She shrugged. "Yes, but I have no control over it."

"Can we test that? How do we wake up?"

* * *

Wally was a mix of emotions as he made his way down the hall to Preston's room. He was still trying to wrap his mind around he and Preston sharing a dream, let alone the fact that she now had the power to read people's minds. At that thought, he came to a sudden halt. She can read minds.

Nervousness suddenly flooded over Wally like a tsunami. What had she already seen in his? While he tried to keep his feelings for Preston pushed away, they were always there in the back of his mind. They were there along with his memories of their first meeting out of costume and their first kiss. He knew it wasn't a real first kiss, but to him it was the most wonderful thing he had ever experienced. Had she been able to see that? His palms started to sweat as he continued down the hall. As he approached her door, he pushed all the thoughts of his feelings for Preston to the back of his mind, in the hope she wouldn't be able to reach that far.

He opened the door a crack to see Preston sitting in a chair across the room. "Hey, I thought you were supposed to stay in bed for a few days." He rushed over to her, making sure she was ok, his mind now only filled with concern for her.

"I know but I'm tired of being in bed."

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you went all superhero today."

She gave him a quick smirk. "So how should we do this?"

Wally smiled warmly, remembering another time when she had said those exact words, right before they shared a kiss.  
"Wally what is it?"

Suddenly feeling embarrassed about what he was thinking, he focused back on Preston, a slight blush present on his cheeks. "Could you tell what I was thinking?"

"No."

Wally let out the breath he had been holding in. "Good. I mean never mind. So, I was thinking, you know how J'onn can communicate with us in our minds? Have you tried that yet?"

"I haven't really tested anything. So, far I haven't had control over the power. It seems to happen randomly. I was able to talk to J'onn in his mind when I was in the coma for a few weeks then we shared a dream." As the memory of that dream came back to her, she looked at Wally, her face filled with sorrow. "J'onn and I both saw Aero, dead."

Wally looked back at her sympathetically. For once he had no idea how to respond. Sensing that, Preston kept going. "Right after the dream ended, J'onn came to my room and the moment I saw him, I realized we had shared the dream. That's when I figured out that Doctor Strange must have injected me with a power. J'onn has been doing an investigation to see exactly what I had put inside me, but so far he hasn't come up with much."

"Wow."

"Worst part is, someone died so that I could have this new power."

Wally sat next to her. "You didn't have a choice in the matter. You can't beat yourself up over something that was clearly out of your control."

Even though Preston knew he was right, the guilt weighed heavily on her.

"Let's see if we can honor this superhero by testing out your powers. Why don't you talk to me in my mind?"

Preston looked straight into Wally's eyes.

"Are you doing it? Tell me when you're doing it." Wally's excitement was making him impatient.

"I'm trying. You can't hear anything?" Preston sounded disappointed.

Wally comforted her. "No but it's ok. We have to keep trying. Try one more time."

Preston stared straight into his eyes again. The look was so intense it made Wally gulp apprehensively. Sweat began to form on her forehead. One drop made its way into her eye, forcing her to blink. "Ugh I give up. I can't do it!"

"Ok let's try something different then. What about if I try to talk to you in your mind?"

Preston's looked at him, puzzled. "I doubt that will work. I'm the telepathic one, remember?"

"Just let me try it. What do we have to lose?"

She answered him with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Ok here I go." Wally closed his eyes tightly. As soon as he did, Preston could hear him talking to her, but when she looked at him, his mouth wasn't moving. "Testing, testing one, two, three. Is this thing on?"

Quickly reaching out her hand, she grabbed him on the shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at her, a sense of accomplishment written all over her face.

Wally smiled proudly. "You heard me?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Ok now try talking to me, maybe it needed to be turned on or something."

Before he could finish his sentence he heard her voice in his mind. "You are one of the weirdest people ever."

As soon as he heard it, he looked up at her and she looked back at him. Both were in shock and awe over what they had just experienced. Then the reality of the situation hit them, bringing a blush into their cheeks.

"Um you can read my mind."

"And you can talk to me from yours."

Wally had a worried expression on his face. "Not to be insensitive but if you can't control it, does that mean you can read all my thoughts?" While this new-found power could change things for Preston, he was worried it might change things between them. He didn't know if he had the strength to constantly be burying his feelings around her, because being with her only made them grow stronger.

Preston looked distressed as she replied. "No. I haven't been able to read anyone's thoughts. Sometimes I get inklings of what someone is feeling, but its nothing concrete. "

Sighing to himself in relief, Wally gave her a hopeful look. For the moment his thoughts regarding her were safe. He hoped they would stay that way because what he realized as he looked at her was that his feelings would be impossible to bury.


	14. Chapter 13

**Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear  
And I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear  
Take the wheel and steer  
It's driven me before  
And it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal  
But lately I am beginning to find  
That I should be the one behind the wheel**

"Don, open up I need your help." Wally was careful not to talk too loudly from behind the door.

Even though it was low, the voice startled Don, who was climbing into his apartment from his rear window. He carefully pulled his injured leg over the window's stool and placed it gently down on the floor.

"Uh, hold on a second." Glancing down at his clothes, he started to panic. His Dove costume, which now adorned his body, was covered in dirt and a little blood. To transform out of it, he needed to calm his nerves. The suit responded to his body and he knew the stress he felt at the moment would only serve to keep him in costume. So, the only other logical thing to do was to run to his room and throw some clothes over the costume. With that done, he started to calm down. He looked in the mirror and watched his mask magically fade away.

Satisfied his appearance wouldn't rouse any suspicion, he went to the front door and opened it for Wally. The man stormed in the house, obviously bothered by something.

"Wally sit down, will you? Your making me nervous." Don took the lead and sat on his couch.

As Wally sat down next to him, he took a moment to take a good look at the man who was sitting next to him. This was not the Don he knew. He had lost a significant amount of weight, and he looked like he hadn't slept in months. Along with that, he had a few bruises on his cheeks.

"Don are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You just look… have you been sleeping ok?"

Don shook his head. "No." He answered honestly. "I haven't slept well since…" He glanced down at his leg.

Wally understood. "That's why I came. Preston doesn't sleep well either. Almost every night she has a nightmare about Africa or something worse. I know because I am in most of them."

"Her telepathy?"

"So you know?"

"Yes. She told me a few weeks ago, after she realized she shared a few telepathic experiences with you."

"Don, I know you are close with her. Probably closer then she and I will ever be." A hint of sadness could be heard in his words. "You both shared an experience that I, I can never understand, as much as I would like to. I will do anything to help her and I know she trusts you. And because she trusts you, so do I. I'm worried about her. She sneaks out every night. I don't know where she is going. I was tempted to follow her, but I know she has a lot to work out and I can't bring myself to get in the way of that."

Don tried to look surprised at the information Wally had told him. The truth was, he knew all of this. Three weeks ago, Preston had come to visit him. That was right after he had hit rock bottom emotionally. She had come at the perfect time. Admitting what he had done to Doctor Strange was one of the hardest things he had to do, but she needed to know. It involved her after all. The regret he felt regarding her had drove him to do it. Shock hadn't even registered on her face as he had told her. And Don knew she was shocked, he sensed it. Instead she offered to help him pick up the pieces of his shattered life and move on. But both knew the guilt weighed heavily on him.

After that night, she had come over many times. Now that his feelings weren't overwhelming him, he could clearly sense hers. She felt useless in her current state. Don was not a stranger to the hopelessness and guilt that weighed on Preston's mind. Those were the emotions he refused to give up. They lingered and burned into his soul.

After realizing she needed a release for her emotions, Don decided it was now his turn to help her. Help her the way she had helped him, in a way he never was able to in Africa.

They started small. At first, they would sit and wait in a car and listen to a police scanner, anxious to hear of a bank robbery or shooting that they could stop. The first few fights were hard. Both were out of practice. Wally had been training her, but not as often as she would have liked or needed. She had felt sluggish and made a lot of mistakes.

Dove was still trying to manage with the limited use of his leg. Flying was essential now if he was going to be fighting crime. It wasn't one of the abilities he had relied on before. Getting use to it was taking more time then he would have liked. Thankfully he still had his enhanced senses that allowed him to perceive things before they happened. That made it easier for him to dodge bullets, flip over moving vehicles and avoid punches.

After the first week, they started getting into a nice rhythm. But that meant they were both willing and able to deal with bigger crimes. And they savored it. Both Preston and Dove fought offensively, neither caring how much they got injured, but each looking out for the welfare of the other. While most of the criminals they dealt with recognized Dove, Preston was the unknown vigilante who wore a red hoodie and a green mask.

Don knew that Preston had not told anyone they had been back to crime fighting. There was an unspoken knowledge that no one would understand what they were doing. But as Wally sat beside him now, he felt bad for not letting him know where Preston had been spending her nights. He pushed the feeling aside as he answered. "She has been here a few times, just to talk."

"Has she mentioned she's missed her last three injections?"

That news startled Don. He had assumed she was regularly getting them because she seemed to have enough energy and stamina to keep fighting crime every night. It dawned on him that lately she wasn't as talkative with him, in his mind or in person. Since they started working together every night, she had formed a telepathic link with Don. It wasn't perfect, and sometimes it was very unstable, but it worked. Usually he could sense with his abilities and the added telepathic link, what Preston was feeling. But he hadn't been able to read her the last few nights. Maybe that was why, she was hiding this from him.

"I hadn't realized." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I can talk to her about it."

Wally nodded gratefully. "Thank you. I'm so glad that she has you." He let out a sigh of dejection. "I honestly don't know what to do. I feel like nothing I have done is enough. Every time I'm in her dreams, I can feel her guilt. It's so thick that sometimes I feel like I can't breathe. Then I have to remind myself it's only a dream. I don't want to push her to talk or do anything else she doesn't want to do, but I am so worried. She is carrying around so much on her shoulders and she seems unwilling to let it go." He started to pace around the small living room, running his hands through his spikey red hair. "I wish she could see herself like we all see her. The way I see her."

Don let himself smile at Wally's last comment. His words could be interpreted several ways, but the love and concern that radiated from the speedster could not. He had long suspected that Wally returned the feelings that Preston had for him. It warmed his heart that through everything the feelings they had for each other remained. And have even gotten stronger.

Don wasn't sure what to tell Wally. He could only think of one thing. "Wally, I made a promise to myself that I would never again let anything happen to Preston. And I intend to keep that promise no matter what."

* * *

"The Ketracel has been ready for over a week."

"Then why hasn't she been given the injection? She looks awful. Her skin is pale, and she has bruises all over her body. I can tell she's in pain every time she moves around." Oliver's voice dripped with pity for his daughter.

"She hasn't been here for any injections in over two weeks." Bruce looked at his colleagues. Worry was apparent on both of their faces.

"Oliver, has she mentioned to you that she has not come? We have phoned her many times." J'onn looked at him, concerned.

"No she hasn't said a word to me. I feel like she is closing herself off from me."

"Closing herself off? In what way?" Bruce, always the detective, was anxious to find out as much information as possible.

"When she is home, which isn't as often as I would like these days, she holds up in her room. The only time she really comes out is to grab some food. If she talks to either Dinah or I it's a few words, at best. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here. I want to know what's going on, but I don't know how much to push. She's had to deal with something terrible and I know that isn't something she can easily forget about, no matter what kind of front she puts on for me and Dinah."

"Does Wally know anything? I know he has been aiding in her recovery." The sorrow in J'onn's voice could be detected by both of his friends. He was not someone who easily gave up, but it seemed that all his work, his worry, may not have been enough to help Preston. "Perhaps we underestimated the psychological affects either the loss of her wings or the immunotoxin is having on her."

"What do you mean?" Apprehension was quickly rising in Oliver's voice.

"If it was anyone else, I would say she gave up." It pained Bruce to say those words. He knew Preston better then most. She was a fighter, someone who kept going despite what was thrown at her. After surviving losing her wings, it seemed impossible she would give up now. After all she had fought so hard to get where she was. It had been a very long, difficult road but she seemed like she was doing well. There had to be some other explanation.

"No, she couldn't have." Oliver's voice trailed off.

"Maybe not, but for now we have nothing else to go on." Bruce paced the room. "Oliver, I know it might be hard to believe, I'm having trouble believing it myself. But until we have another idea we should assume that emotionally and possible mentally, she needs help."

Oliver's voice rose. "I can't believe I just heard those words come out of your mouth. This is Preston we are talking about! Please tell me Bruce that you don't honestly believe after everything she has gone through that she would just give up like that."

Bruce looked at his friend sympathetically. "Oliver, we need to be rational about this and I know when it comes to Preston, we all have blinders on. Do I believe she is giving up? Honestly, no. But we all need to step away and not let our feelings for her cloud our judgement. If anyone else in the League was exhibiting this behavior, what would we think?"

"I believe we would conclude that they have been emotionally compromised. If they were on active duty, we would immediately take them off and get them professional assistance." J'onn's words were filled with deep regret. He walked up to Oliver and placed his hands on the man's shoulders. "Oliver, if she refuses to take either the immunotoxin or the Ketracel she will die. To make the decision to decline treatment that will save your life is not a decision someone with a rational mind would make."

Oliver pushed J'onn's hands away, quickly turning away from him. He brought his forearm up to his eye and wiped a tear away. "Ok. Let's say I agree with your reasoning. I'm not saying I do, but what would our next step be?"

"We need to talk to her." Bruce stepped closer to both men. "But before we do, I want to make sure we aren't jumping to the wrong conclusion. So, we need to talk to someone else first."

Oliver sighed heavily and turned back around to face Bruce and Jon. "Wally should be on Watchtower duty tonight."

* * *

Dove set Preston down on the ground before he let himself land softly next to her. She had seemed lighter tonight then the last time he had carried her with him while flying. He wasn't sure if that was because he was gradually building up his own strength or she had lost weight. They had been so busy the last few weeks focusing on stopping crimes that he realized they hadn't had enough time to just talk. And as he had carried her to the park they now stood in, he noticed she looked different. And from the conversation he had with Wally earlier, he was concerned he might be overlooking a serious problem just to satisfy his own need to reconcile himself to her and to make up for the sins he had committed.

He took a quick look around the small park to check for anyone who might be around this late in the evening. Once he knew the area was clear of civilians he motioned for Preston to sit on a darkened bench that lay just a few feet from the nearest light pole.

As he sat next to her, he spoke just loud enough for her to hear. "You remember we promised each other that if we were going to get into this, we would protect each other, right?"

Preston nodded at Dove's words. She was anxious to get started for the night, but Dove had asked her to wait a moment, so they could talk. Because of the bond they had developed over the past few weeks Preston had thought she knew everything Dove was going to say. While she couldn't always control when she could read his mind, she could always sense what he was feeling. But tonight, was different. He was hiding his feelings, on purpose.

"Well what I'm going to say is because I care about you and want to protect you. And on a selfish note, if we are going to be able to continue to be a help out there, you need to be strong and Preston, you need to keep yourself from dying."

Preston sighed, annoyed. "What are you trying to say?"

"Why aren't you getting your injections? You know they are the only thing keeping you alive."

"No they aren't. Doing this, with you, is. Dove I was born with special abilities and I need to use them to help people. My life was nothing before this."

Dove's brow furrowed under his mask. For weeks he had sensed the feelings of remorse and worthlessness Preston had been experiencing. Maybe he should have said something sooner about it, but he didn't want to be labeled a hypocrite. Especially since he was experiencing those same feelings.

"Preston our powers don't define who we are as people. And proving that you are strong enough to survive without the immunotoxin is going to get you killed and you know that."

"I don't need it anymore." She muttered under her breath and crossed her arms in frustration.

"Yes you do. With it the pain is at least tolerable. But without it, I can't imagine how bad the pain is right now. I can tell it's been affecting you."

"It drives me."

"We both know that's a lie. I think pain is driving you but not the physical pain you are feeling. I think pain can define us if we let it. It can make us the superheroes we are. But it's a pressure that can either turn you into a diamond or into dust. Don't let it turn you into dust, the way it did me." His voice was thick with regret. "I took my pain and instead of channeling it into something good, I used it to fuel my anger, my revenge. I gave into the pain instead of using it."

"You don't know what it's like being dependent on something to stay alive."

"You're right, I don't. But I know how much you need to do this." He pointed at the green mask she held in her hands. "How much we both need this." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back. "What are you telling them by the way?"

Preston took a moment and closed her eyes. Her next words could only be heard inside Dove's mind. "You know I'm a horrible liar. So, I have been doing my best to avoid them. What does Hank think you are doing? He has been watching you like a Hawk."

Both of them smiled at the pun she made. Then Dove's face turned serious. He thought his answer so that Preston could hear it in his mind. "Unfortunately, I have been doing the same. He just wouldn't understand."

Preston nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. She then pointed to a few of the older bruises on her arms. Dove knew exactly what she was asking. "I wear long sleeves." He thought.

"How did you find out about the injections? I'm the one who can read minds, not you." Preston started talking out loud once again.

"I had noticed a change. But then Wally came over to talk."

"Oh."

Dove turned toward her, so she could see the small, joyful smile on his face. "Preston, he deeply cares for you."

"He is my best friend."

"That's not what I mean you and you know it. It doesn't take an empath or a mind reader to know that boy loves you."

Preston put her head down and nervously played with the mask she held in her hands. "How could he?"

Dove reached over and placed his hand under her chin, bringing her face up so she was looking at him. "Because you are a beautiful person and he sees that. Now you need to. You need to see what all of us see in you."

Preston had so many doubts about herself and what her place was now. To hear that everyone she loved thought that way about her made her sick to her stomach. How could they think she was beautiful when she took so much from them? Their lives were now completely different because of decisions she had made. Earning their admiration was something she was now determined to do more then ever. That would mean getting strong enough to prove she was the person they thought she was. The only way to do that was by being out here, fighting and stopping crime, no matter the cost. Until then she would have to live with the fact that she wasn't a beautiful person, she was a selfish one.

* * *

Flash looked around the hallway that he was currently in to make sure no one was around before entering the room a few feet ahead of him. Anxiety nipped at him as he thought back to the promise he made to not only Preston but himself. He swore to take care of her no matter what. That meant the good and the bad.

When the bruises started to appear, he noticed. How could he not? Preston was the most important person in his life, he noticed everything about her. But he chose to remain silent. He didn't know if that was the right decision to make, but he made it anyway. It just meant that he would have to keep an even closer eye on her then before. And he did.

When she was home at the mansion, Preston kept to herself. That was unlike her. She used to hate being alone in that big house, now it seemed she relished in it. Oliver and Dinah had noticed that too. Her solitude was the thing that they all knew about but never openly acknowledged. But Wally could see it in their eyes, they were worried. And they missed their daughter. He could see the huge emotional strain that it was causing.

And that was the main reason he agreed to this meeting. He refused to see anyone hurt anymore.

As he entered the small room, he looked at the men who stood in front of him. When he got the call to meet them, he had no doubt in his mind why they had called. They were the other men in Preston's life. The ones she cared about the most and the ones who cared about her and who would do anything to help her. Flash knew they weren't blind to what had been going on with Preston. Oliver, Bruce and J'onn were three of the most discerning, stubborn but loving men Flash had the privilege of knowing. To be honest he was happy to be able to finally get this off his chest and talk to them about it.

"Flash shut the door behind you." As he did, he looked at the faces of the men who called him here. He was thankful that both Bruce and Oliver were wearing their masks because he was afraid if they weren't he would see the worry and desperation in their eyes.

"I know why you asked me here." Flash spoke up.

"Wally," Green Arrow stepped closer to Flash, a look of warmth for the boy on his face. "Son we need to ask you. You have been with Preston the most since she's come home. How is she," his pace slowed. "Handling things?"

"I honestly don't know how to answer that. At first she seemed to be doing well. We were even doing a little training." The last words were spoken with trepidation.

Shocked, Green Arrow replied, "Excuse me?"

"Oliver, don't be upset. I was taking it really slow. But she felt useless and I had to do something to help her. I took precautions."

Wiping his hand over his mouth, Oliver stepped back, stunned. He didn't know what to say.

"Flash, it's ok. Continue telling us what's been going on." Batman stepped in front of Green Arrow, just in case he let his emotions get the better of him. With how stressed and worn out they all had been recently, it was a definite possibility that one of them might lose their cool, whether they meant to or not.

"In the last few weeks though things have been different. I know you have all noticed, especially since she hasn't come to get her injections." The three men looked at each other before each nodding to Flash to continue. "She's been sneaking out several nights a week. I don't know where she is going, but what I do notice is every few days she has a few new bruises on her. The first few were hard to see because they were on her arms. When I would glance at them she would simply pull her shirt sleeve down to cover them. But after a few days it's like she didn't care if they showed anymore. There were more of them and in more prominent places." Flash sighed heavily. "She isn't eating well either."

"I have noticed that. She never comes down to eat with Dinah and I. That use to be her favorite part of the day, catching up with the old man." Green Arrow's shoulder slumped forward.

"See that's exactly what I'm talking about. It's like she doesn't care about anything anymore. And..." Flash hesitated.  
J'onn walked up to him and put his hand on his shoulder. As Flash looked up at him he gave him a look of approval. He wanted to let Flash know that what he about to say needed to be heard by the other two men in the room. Flash looked down at the floor and took a deep breath before continuing. He knew that it was not his place to reveal the secret he had held onto for many weeks now, but if he was going to help Preston, he had to betray her confidence no matter the consequences. "Preston is weighed down with guilt from everything. I don't know exactly what is making her feel that way, but I know she is."

"How do you know? Did she tell you?" Green Arrow was confused. But he wasn't sure if his confusion stemmed from the fact that Preston would let Wally know what was going on or that Preston was feeling guilty. What did she have to feel guilty about? She survived the most horrible ordeal any of them could ever imagine. Everything that had happened to her was from an outside source, none of it was her fault. But was that how she felt?

"Not exactly. I saw it."

"Saw it?"

"That's not exactly the right word for it either. We have been sharing thoughts and dreams…telepathically." Flash looked up to see how Batman and Green Arrow would react to this news only to find that Batman didn't twitch, raise his eyebrows or anything. His face remained the same, as if he had already heard this information a dozen times. Green Arrow on the other hand was noticeably freaking out. As he paced back and forth in the small room, he was muttering to himself and stroking his beard.

Flash cringed as he looked at both Batman and Martian Manhunter. "She was given telepathic powers in Africa. J'onn, and Question figured out that Doctor Strange somehow gave her limited access to it."

Green Arrow stopped pacing and stood in front of J'onn. "Limited access, what does that mean? And furthermore, is there a reason I am the only one in the room who didn't know about this?"

"Her telepathy only works with a few people. After investigating it further we found that if she forms a close emotional bond with someone that allows her to be telepathically linked with them." J'onn stated matter-of-factly.

"Did you just say 'furthermore'?" Amidst the high emotion that was felt in the room, Flash found himself chuckling a little. He took a moment to glance over and he noticed Batman had a slight smirk on his face.

"I don't find this amusing at all." Green Arrow sat down on a crate that was in the middle of the room.

"I know I'm sorry." Flash walked up to Green Arrow and kneeled down to look him in the eyes. "I hesitated to tell you about the telepathic link because I, I don't know I was afraid of hurting your feelings."

"Hurting my feelings? Son, I'm a lot of things but sensitive isn't one of them." Green Arrow sat up and puffed his chest out.

The other men in the room all gave each other a knowing look. "Maybe not, but when it comes to Preston you allow your heart to take precedence over your mind. I believe we have all come to act that way when it comes to her." What J'onn had stated was true and they all knew it.

"The link is based on an emotional connection Oliver. I know how close you and Preston are and she hasn't been able to talk with you telepathically at all. I was afraid because we could, that you might be jealous. I know I shouldn't make that assumption, but I just didn't want to see you hurt. Preston either. She asked me several times not to tell you because she felt so bad she wasn't able to reach out to you."

"Preston felt that way about me? She's developed a new power and she is trying to figure out how it works and what to do with it and she's worried about me?" Oliver removed his mask and swiped his forearm over his eyes.

"So, Flash what's your opinion? Are we being overprotective? Are we seeing something that isn't there?" Batman used the moment to say what they all had been thinking.

"No something is definitely wrong. And I'm afraid for her. I think she is purposely getting hurt and pushing her limits. I'm not sure why, maybe to test what she can endure? Whatever it is I know her guilt is what is driving her." Flash nudged Green Arrow over on the crate, so he could sit next to him. "I have thought about confronting her several times, but I didn't know how. I think we have all given her a wide berth because we know she has to come to terms with all the changes in her life. Guys," Flash gave them a solemn but serious look. He knew that these men were the closest he had to a family. And families shared their deepest feelings and thoughts with each other. With that warm feeling running through his head and heart he continued. "I am in love with Preston." He looked up at Oliver, who was now clenching onto his Green Arrow mask. He warmly smiled at this heartfelt confession.

"Wally, we all know."

"I realize that. But I wanted to tell you. You are her family, the people she loves most in this world. I want to take care of her, protect her. I don't just want to, I need to. I promise that I will talk to her and figure out what's wrong, help her through it. I don't know if what I feel for her is ever going to be returned, but I don't care. I want to be by her side regardless of her feelings for me."

Flash, his back hunched over was rubbing his hands together in nervousness, didn't see the look and smirks that the other men were giving to each other.

Being closest to Flash, Oliver put his arm around the man's shoulders and squeezed him. "I couldn't have picked a better man to take care of my girl."

With those words, Flash picked his head back up. He was now filled with confidence, feeling the support of the men who all considered themselves Preston's caretakers.

* * *

"I'm just saying that maybe you should take it easy for a couple of days, come out to dinner with me and Oliver and Dinah."

"I can't tonight Wally as much as I would like to." Preston hurried around her room, trying her best to clean it up. As she did she grabbed her bag from the top dresser drawer and threw it in her purse. She did this as quickly as possible so that Wally wouldn't ask any questions about it. It held the hoodie and mask she had been using to hide her identity while fighting crime. She felt bad for not telling Wally what she had been doing or where she had been going most nights, but he wouldn't understand.

While he had been so wonderful during her recovery, she knew he would be upset to find out that she was out with Dove trying to make up for all the things she had done to him and the other people she loved.

"Maybe tomorrow night."

"Look Preston, we need to talk. Can you sit down a minute?" Wally sat on her bed and patted the spot next to him. She turned around from where she was and looked at him. Shrugging, she made her way over to the bed.

"I'm begging you, don't go out tonight." She had never heard Wally be this serious.

Attempting to break the tension, she snickered at him. "Why? What's going on?"

"I don't know, but I want to."

Preston looked at him confused. As she did he reached over and held her arm, pulling her sleeve up until it sat at her elbow. She glanced down to see what he was looking at. Her arm was covered in bruises. Some were fresh while some had been there for some time. "What is this?" He asked sharply.

She tried to pull her arm away, but he grabbed onto it a little tighter, all the while being careful not to hurt her. "It's nothing."

"Preston."

Continuing the struggle to pull her arm away, her words came out with a grunt. "What?!"

He let go of her arm and she rocked back, almost falling backwards on the bed. Wally sat her back up.

"I don't know why but your being reckless. You have stopped taking your injections, you barely eat anything and you are constantly allowing yourself to get hurt. Did you know that J'onn had developed a more permanent immunotoxin?"

Her head shook in answer to his question, but she was afraid to speak. She had never seen Wally this upset. He threw his hands up in the air and stood up. "Why am I not surprised. Lately you haven't been paying attention to anyone but yourself. We are all worried about you and how you have been acting. What do you think you are accomplishing by all of this?"

Preston just stared at him, wide eyed. What did she think she was doing? She had thought all her actions were going unnoticed. Now that she was being confronted with them she didn't know what to think. Initially she started all this with what she thought were good intentions. It was her way of working things out. But she didn't expect this. Doubt begin to enter her mind as Wally stood in front of her, a mix of anger and sympathy on his face.

Wally sat back down next to her and reached up his hand to stroke her cheek. She turned her head the other way and exposed a big bruise that graced the bottom of her jaw. He moved his hand down to her jaw and turned it more to the side, so he could get a better look at it.

"Preston," He spoke softly. His voice laced with sadness. "Don't do this, I beg of you. If you do, all everyone has done to help you, J'onn, Bruce, Oliver, will mean nothing if your risking your life." He scooted closer to her, taking her hands in his. "Please, for me. I just can't watch you do this to yourself." Clearing his throat he continued. "I love you."

Preston looked at him in shock. "Uh," She pulled her hands out of his quickly and stood up. "I need some air." With that she rushed past him and out of the room.

* * *

As Dove and Preston had suspected, the man they had heard rumors about was out dealing the new drug tonight. All week there had been whispers of a drug that would push you all the way to the edge, only to suddenly bring you back to reality. Both Dove and Preston suspected that this new drug was actually a fear serum based on the gas that Doctor Crane had weaponized.

The moment Dove had found out about it, he knew he had to be the one to stop its distribution to the public. Since he had used the gas he fancied himself an advocate to get it out of the hands of people, including himself, who would use it recklessly.

This new seller they had been tracking sold it to anyone who could pay. Rumors were he was ruthless, arrogant and very determined. But so were Dove and Preston.

Needless to say, they were anxious to get this dealer off the streets as soon as possible. Preston wished it could have been on any other night but this one. As that thought ran through her mind she eyed something silver and shiny in the hands of the leader of the group of drug dealers.

"Dove watch out he just pulled a gun." She pushed her thoughts into Dove's mind. "I'm going to try to get a clear shot at it."

Dove looked her way to acknowledge that he heard her and decided to use his agility to make himself into a moving target, so Preston might be able to get a better fix on the gun. As he gracefully moved around the perpetrator dodging punches and kicks, he saw a white beam hit the gun out of his hand, grazing its holder. The man held his hand and winced in pain.

"Careful Preston." Dove thought. "We don't want to hurt anyone."

Picking up on his thoughts Preston cringed. "I didn't mean it."

"What's going on tonight? Your emotions are making you clumsy." As they communicated telepathically Dove could sense several more of the dealers pull their weapons. "We don't have the luxury tonight."

Reaching out her arm, Preston thought about the two men who were slowly walking towards her. She lifted her arm and the two men lifted with it. Dove was right, her emotions were getting the better of her and she was finding it hard to concentrate. Her plan was to throw them a few feet away and into the large trash bins that were nearby.

Usually it was a simple thing, moving things with her mind, but tonight Preston was only able to do it with great struggle and difficulty. Try as she might, the emotions kept rushing forward and the men started to slip from her grasp. Not wanting to lose them, Preston blocked out everything else and put all her attention on the two men in front of her. Even the man who now stood behind her, dagger in hand.

Suddenly, a single cry broke through her mind's barrier: "Preston, behind you!"

Shocked by the panic and fear in Dove's voice, the men she was holding dropped abruptly to the ground. She didn't get a chance to reclaim them, for at that moment the leader lunged at her, knife ready.

Dove rushed to her, thinking of nothing other than Preston's safety. His eyes widened as he watched her struggle with the large man. As soon as he was close enough, he reached out and shoved the man backwards into a pit.

The man cursed and screamed as he fell backwards into the pit, dragging Preston with him. On the way down, she ripped her hand from his grasp and fired off an energy beam at him from her eyes. In a fleeting moment, she tried to use her wings to fly up, only to remember too late that they were gone. Preston landed on top of him on the bottom of the pit. She scanned him, only to let out a sigh of relief when she saw that he was unconscious. A shadow covered her, and looking up, she saw Dove flying down to her. He grabbed on to her and brought her out, then set her down on the gravel a few feet away from the pit.

"Preston I…" The words caught in his throat as a sharp pain shot through his back. The color drained from his face.

"Dove!" Preston screamed. She stared past him to see one of the dealers pulling four syringes from Dove's back. Letting her anger take over, she turned her energy beam on the man and pushed him hundreds of feet away from them with it.

Before Dove could pass out, Preston ran over to him and caught him in her arms. Slowly they both sunk to the ground.

"Dove, Dove." Her voice quivered. As she cradled him, he gasped for breath. His eyes darted back and forth, a look of panic in them. She reached up and touched his face, starting to sob when she felt how cold it was. Dove whimpered in pain. Preston pulled him in closer to her.

As she held him close and his body violently shook against hers, she wasn't sure what she should be feeling. She felt like she was watching everything happen in slow motion. Her heart ached as hot tears ran down her cheeks.

"Dove everything will be fine. Your healing will kick in any minute now and then we can take you up to the Watchtower and The Atom can patch you up." The words, barely above a whisper, came out slowly through the stream of tears. "It's going to be ok. You hear me, Dove?" Her words barely audible now. "Everything will be ok. I promise."

Suddenly Dove, in a single moment of clarity reached up and held Preston's cheek in his cold hand. "I finally was able to save you," he whispered, mustering a faint, sad smile. As the last word escaped his lips, his eyes closed, and his body stopped shaking. His hand slid down Preston's face and fell to the ground.  
"Dove, Dove come on. Wake up." She shook with sorrow as she tugged on the fabric covering Dove's chest. "Please wake up." She closed her eyes and with whatever strength she had left called out in her mind to Wally.


	15. Chapter 14

**There is nothing left of you,** **  
** **I can see it in your eyes** **  
** **Sing the anthem of the angels** **  
** **And say the last goodbye  
I keep holding onto you,** **  
** **But I can't bring you back to life** **  
** **Sing the anthem of the angels,** **  
** **And say the last goodbye**

Wally sat with his hands behind his head, leaning against the bed's headboard. He couldn't believe those words came out of his mouth. It had felt good to finally get them out in the open but that had not been the way that he wanted to tell Preston that he loved her. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was his overwhelming concern for her, his anger at how she had been acting or that she was denying herself the support from everyone she loved, but somehow the words just came out.

Like a shockwave, a scream broke his thoughts. "Wally!"

As quick as he could, Wally closed his eyes concentrating on the sound of Preston's voice in his mind. Her voice sounded frantic yet despondent.

Before her feelings could overwhelm him, Wally had to speak. "Where are you?" He repeated the words over and over in his mind until a blurry image appeared. From it he could make out a large pile of dirt and beyond it he could see water. He needed more.

"Preston just tell me where you are." Wally was almost frustrated at her lack of communication until he realized why everything he was seeing was so blurry. She was crying. He was seeing things through her tear-filled eyes.

His anxiety heightened so much he felt like he was choking on it. "Preston give me more, I don't know where you are!"  
Suddenly a thought was pushed into his head and he knew exactly where she was. The Narrows.

Pushing the button on the ring his uncle had given him last year, he quickly ran into the Flash costume that was released from it. As quickly as he had changed, he was gone.

* * *

Skidding to a stop a few seconds after he left the Queen Mansion, Flash looked around at his current location. He knew he had arrived in the Narrows because all the buildings were run down, the rails on most of the fire escapes were either missing or broken and the air smelled of motor oil and soot.

He looked to his right and immediately recognized the dirt pile from Preston's thoughts. Running to it he saw the water just beyond. Right before he could turn around, he heard a faint cry.

"Wally. Help."

Startled, his head snapped around to see Preston propped up against a dumpster wearing a red hoodie and green mask. Her arms were wrapped around Dove. She was holding him close to her chest, sobbing. Flash walked slowly toward them. As he examined the scene more closely he saw Dove lay limply against Preston and all the color had drained from his face. Flash knelt down and took Dove's wrist in his hand, laying his index and middle finger against it. He felt nothing.

"Wally I can't hear him anymore. He's gone." With those words a gut-wrenching sob rose from her chest. She clutched onto Dove and tried to bring him even closer to her.

Sadness filled Flash as he watched this. He reached his hand up towards Preston. "It's ok." Those weren't the words that he knew would comfort her, but he didn't know what else to say. He knew they needed to get out of there and back up to the Watchtower. But he wasn't sure if he should move Preston right now. This was the most fragile he had ever seen her, and it made his heart break.

"Preston we have to get you and Dove back up to the Watchtower. Here," he reached both hands out. "Let me carry him."

"No, no he needs me." Her voice lowered as she leaned her head down toward Dove's, resting her forehead on his. "I can't let him go."

"Ok. It's ok. We don't have to go right now." Bringing his arms back down to his side, Flash moved around until he was crouching down next to Preston. Putting his arms around her, he held her gently and whispered in her ear. "Everything is going to be ok."

* * *

Hawk rummaged around in his locker. "Where is it? Damn I am always losing that stupid phone." He angrily threw the contents outside his locker and onto the floor. As he did the sound of hard plastic hitting the floor drew his attention. He grumbled to himself as he reached for the lost item.

His mood the last few days could only be described as atrocious. It seemed like everything that could go wrong did. To top it all off he hadn't heard from or seen his brother and he knew it was because Don had been purposely avoiding him. That frustrated him more than he admitted to himself.

It was hard to be without Don. He was the one person who balanced Hawk out.

Picking up the phone, he shook it a few times then proceeded to turn it on. It refused, so he hit it with the edge of his palm. Pushing the button to power it up again, Hawk was relieved when it finally lit up. Frustrated with himself for dropping it, he ran his finger over the now broken screen. As the home screen came on he was instantly notified that he had two missed calls and voicemails. Pushing play and holding his phone up to his ear, he began to listen to the messages that were left.

"Hank it's Wally West. You need to give me a call as soon as you can."

Wally? What could he possibly be calling about? The only time they ever talked was when the League assigned them to work together.

He pushed a button on his phone to go to the next message.

"Hank Hall this is J'onn J'onzz. Report to the Watchtower as…"

From behind him he felt someone approach. He brought the phone away from his ear and slowly turned around.

"Hank."

The man who stood before him was someone that Hawk deeply respected. Martian Manhunter was the sole survivor of his race. He came to earth and not only made it his home, but earnestly fought for the people on this planet as he did on his own. One of the main things he admired about the Martian was his ability to keep his emotions in check. Hawk wore his feelings on his sleeve. But as Hawk looked up at the Martian's face he immediately got the sense that something was wrong.

"J'onn what's going on?"

With a look of sympathy J'onn responded. "Hank, you need to come with me to the infirmary."

The informal way J'onn was addressing him made Hawk worry. All he could do was nod in response to the request as J'onn led the way out of the locker room and into the hall.

They made their way to the infirmary in an uncomfortable silence. Hawk wanted to ask what was going on, but he knew if the Martian was going to tell him, he would have done so already.

J'onn stopped right outside the doors to the infirmary and turned around to face Hawk and placed his hands on his shoulders. "I'm so sorry Hank."

Doubt and fear permeated Hawk's face. "J'onn what is it? What happened?"

"Your brother. He's been," J'onn paused, trying to compose himself.

Putting the pieces together, Hawk looked back up at J'onn in horror. He pushed him aside and ran into the infirmary.

On a bed in the middle of the room lay Dove. Hawk couldn't help but think how peaceful he looked lying there even though he was ghostly pale. Slowly concentrating on walking towards the bed, he failed to notice The Atom a few feet away.

"Hank, I'm so sorry. There was nothing I could do." Not knowing what else to do or say, the Atom left the room, his head held low in shame.

Hawk's head was clouded. Glancing down at his brother in the bed the reality of the situation hitting him, he clenched his jaw and curled his hands into fists. "Don what did you do?" At those words Hawk broke down. He grabbed his brother and clutched him to his chest. "What did you do? You know I can't do this without you. We are Hawk and Dove, we are supposed to be there for each other." The tears poured down his cheeks. "Don what do I do now? How can I go on without you?"

* * *

A knock on the door drew Preston's attention away from the mirror. "Come in." she answered softly.

Wally slowly walked in, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and black tie. "Hey." He paused and continued walking toward her. "How you holding up?"

Preston shrugged and looked back at the mirror. "I can't seem to get this darn button done." She reached her hands behind her back and angrily struggled a few second more with the button on her dress.

Wally approached her and gently pulled her hands away from her dress. "Let me help." He secured the button then glanced down at the dresser beside him where a gold necklace lay. The necklace had a single charm on it, a dove. "Do you want to put this on?"

Near tears as she saw what he was referring to, Preston simply nodded to Wally. He picked up the necklace as she pulled her hair up and out of the way. Reaching his arm around her, he lay the necklace tenderly on her neck. After he clasped it together on the back of her neck, he put his hands on her shoulder and turned her to face him. He could tell she was just on the brim of crying.

Taking both her hands in his he gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm here for you, anything you need. Especially today."

Wrapping her arms around him enveloping him in a hug she sighed. "Thank you." She pulled away and kissed his cheek. "For everything."

"Of course. Before we leave is there anything I can do for you?" All Wally wanted to do was hold Preston tight and assure her everything was going to be ok. But he knew they both needed to be at the funeral today. It was important for them to not only show their support, but he knew Preston needed this. She needed the closure.

"I need you to accept my sincere apology."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you apologizing for?"

She moved over to the bed and sat down, slowly exhaling. "I'm apologizing for taking everything you did for granted."

Before she could continue he placed his index finger on her lips. "Stop." He removed his finger and sat down next to her. "We can talk about that later."

She put her head down. "Ok. Can we also talk about what you told me the other night, you know right before I stormed out of the room?"

A slight blush rose in Wally's cheek. He stood up, a nervous grin graced his lips. "Also, something we can talk about later."

"Hey you two, it's time."

Both Wally and Preston looked up at Dinah standing in the doorway. Wally held out his hand to help Preston up and they followed Dinah out of the room.

Walking arm in arm down the stairs Dinah rubbed Preston's arm lovingly. "You going to be ok?"

Preston laid her head on Dinah's shoulder as Oliver held the door open for them to walk through. "No. But I will be."

* * *

Raindrops streamed down the slick marble wings of the memorial statue. Preston stared up at the kneeling figure of Dove, permanently frozen in a pose of protection. Wally's umbrella kept the rain off her face but Preston, her thoughts glued on the man who laid in the ground below her feet, wouldn't have noticed if her clothes were soaked through. She reached her arm out from under the umbrella and let the cold drops hit her skin. Making herself as tall as possible, Preston stretched out and touched the name that was carved into the cold, wet stone. Donald Hall.

With a slight touch on her elbow, Wally moved Preston back into the line of black umbrellas and solemn suits. He intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed tightly. As he did that she threw a white lily onto the grave.

Turning to leave, both Preston and Wally took a minute to look at everyone who attended the memorial.

Don was loved by many. But Preston's eyes sought out one person in particular. The one person who would be feeling Don's loss more than anyone else. He wasn't in the line of black suits and ties that she now stood in. Anxiously she glanced around the area.

Through the heavy rain she could make out a figure that stood several yards away under a tree. She let go of Wally's hand. "I'll be back." Her thoughts projected into Wally's mind. He smiled and nodded as she separated herself from the large group of people who were now making their way out of the cemetery.

As she approached the man, she pushed a soaked strand of hair behind her ear. "Hank." She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. So instead she kept her head down, avoiding his glare.

He stood silent just looking over her head. As the last of the group disappeared from the gravesite, Hank made his way over to the memorial of marble that stood over where his brother lay.

Preston was unsure of what to do, so she simply followed him, remaining silent.

Hank stopped right in front of the statue. Leaning down, allowing himself to kneel on the wet ground, he placed another single white lily on the grave. Putting his head down he muttered something. Preston remained a few feet away, afraid to disturb this time he had to say goodbye.

"Preston." Recognizing her name, she looked at Hank. His head still hung low. "Come here."

Carefully stepping closer to Hank, she sighed and wiped a few tears from her eyes. The constant rainfall made it hard to distinguish, but she could tell Hank was also crying.

Not knowing what to do, Preston kneeled next to Hank and put her arm on his back. A moment later, he grabbed her and squeezed as tightly as he could. Preston threw her arms around Hank, anxious to return this uncharacteristic show of affection. They remained in each other's arms for a few minutes before Hank slowly pulled away. He stood up and reached his hand down to help Preston up.

"Let's dry off and grab a cup of coffee." Hank reached down and grabbed onto Preston's hand. She squeezed tightly as they walked out of the cemetery.

* * *

"I know we don't know each other very well but I wanted to tell you how much Don meant to me. And I know how you must feel about me. I took your brother away from you."

"No you didn't. Africa did. He hadn't been the same since he came back. You saved him." At those words Hank reached his hand across the table to hold on to Preston's. "He loved you like a sister. When he came back from Africa all he cared about was how you were. He told me how strong you were and how much he admired and looked up to you. All he wanted to do was to save you. You gave him what he needed to help him be at peace again."

Preston's eyes welled up with tears. "Thank you for saying that. I felt the same way about him. But Don had already saved me before that night." She sighed as Hank brushed a tear off her cheek. "I should have told him that."

He squeezed her hand tightly before letting go and taking a sip of coffee. "I'm sure he knew." His small smile gave Preston the reassurance she had been seeking.

Since Dove's death she had an idea. She tried to dismiss it at first but instead it kept nagging at her. Right in front of her was the opportunity she needed to bring this idea to fruition. So, mustering up all the courage she had, she spoke up.

"I want to do something for him. Keep his memory alive in a way. And if you don't like it, please don't hesitate to let me know. But I have been thinking about this and if its ok with you I want to do it." She took a breath and looked Hank in the eyes. "I'm determined to get back to where I was, being a superhero. Dove was the one who had faith in me, he knew I could do it. And while I know we went about it the wrong way, my desire and determination to continue remain constant. And Dove felt the same way."

"I know he did." Hank paused, feigning impatience. "What are you trying to say?"

"Hank." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Hawk. Would it be ok if I were to take up the mantle of Dove? I'm not ever going to replace him, and I can't take up his mantle in the traditional sense since your powers were given to him and you alone. But I want a way to pay homage to him and this is the only way I know. And in the way I think he would be happy with."

Hank couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. It was one of those smiles that was earnest and genuine. He stood up from the table and walked over to stand in front of Preston. Reaching down, he picked her up and lifted her up off the ground in an embrace that told Preston everything she needed to know. He approved.

* * *

"Hey little girl where you been?" Olive stroked Preston's damp hair as she walked in the door of the mansion. "You ok?"

She wrapped her arms around her father and nodded into his chest. "I stayed back to talk to Hank."

"How is he doin?"

"As expected. I was worried how he felt about me. He doesn't blame me."

Oliver looked at her, a glimmer of pride in his eyes. "Of course not. You and Don both lived through something that was bound to affect you in some way. You were just trying to make the best of your situation."

"I know." Preston bit her lip, taking a moment to think.

"What is it?"

"I need to tell you and Dinah something. But I need to get out of these wet clothes. See you both in the living room in about 15?" She had a hopeful look on her face.

He kissed the top of her head. "Of course."

* * *

Preston paced back and forth, avoiding eye contact with Oliver and Dinah who sat a few feet away from her on the couch.

Dinah, who sat crossed legged, hands resting on her knees, looked at Preston with concern. "Hon, what's going on?"

Sitting down on the coffee table in front of the couch Preston sighed heavily. "I'm just so, so sorry." With those words she began to quietly cry. She brought her head up to look at her parents.

Both Oliver and Dinah leaned forward and stroked her arms. They looked at each other with worry.

"There is no excuse for how I acted. I'm sorry for all that I put you through."

Grabbing her and pulling her closer, Dinah wiped the tears off Preston's cheeks. "It's ok."

Preston interrupted her before she could say anymore. "No, it's not ok. I didn't appreciate what I had, and I acted so foolishly. I wasn't thinking."

"Preston, sweetie it's ok. There are always going to be things we do or say that we wish we could have done differently. But we can't live in regret. You need to stop blaming yourself. We don't blame you." Dinah sat back and looked to her husband, to speak up.

Oliver leaned forward and kissed Preston's head before looking her straight in the eyes and saying, "We love you Preston and we always only wanted what was best for you."

Smiling, she kissed Oliver on the cheek. "I know. And I love you both so much that's why I'm so sorry for anything I did that might have hurt you."

"Now you need to figure out where to go from here." Dinah always thinking practically, wanted to make sure Preston would really be ok after everything she had gone though.

Preston stood up and started pacing again. "I think I have but, I need your approval this time."

"You know we will stand by you no matter what baby girl." Oliver stood in front of Preston and looked down at her. "I mean did you ever think I would let you go on a secret mission?"

A short laugh escaped Preston's lips. "No, but you weren't exactly super supportive about it."

"Like I said, we all have things we wish we could do differently." Dinah glared at Oliver. He shrunk back at her intense stare.

"I have thought a lot about how to move forward. And you both raised me with the need to help others. So, I want to get back to that. I know I have a long way to go before I am accepted back into the League, but I just want to be out there doing something." Her voice lowered. "I can't go back as Aero. She died in Africa."

At those words, Dinah stood up and the three exchanged sorrowful looks with each other. Oliver initiated a hug between them as they took a moment of silence for the fallen hero.

Courage compelled Preston to break away. She took a deep breath and continued. "Because of all I have been through I need a new persona. And I have a new power now and I need to learn how to use it." She paused. "I wanted to talk to you about this first, but I had to get someone else's approval. So, after the funeral I stayed back to talk to Hank. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about this first, but he was the one who would be most affected by my decision."

Dinah and Oliver had confused expressions on their faces.

"Whatever my new persona is, I want to dedicate it to Dove and all he stood for. I needed to see if Hank would approve because Don was not only his brother but also his partner and I knew I couldn't do this without his support. I told him I am by no means replacing his brother or what he stood for, but I want to pay homage to Dove in a way I knew he would appreciate."

Oliver, beaming with pride quickly closed the distance between him and Preston and squeezed her tightly. "When did my little girl grow into the beautiful woman that stands before me?"

Preston smiled against Oliver's chest. "So, does that mean you're ok with it?"

"Of course. You know whatever you do we will always support you." Dinah stood beside them and put a hand on both Oliver and Preston's cheeks. "We are family and that's what we do."

* * *

Preston sat up in bed and looked down at the clock once again. Only fifteen minutes had passed since she looked at it before. She was used to sleepless nights ever since Africa, but what kept her awake now was something completely different.

Looking back on the past week or so, it suddenly occurred to her she hadn't had one nightmare. She hasn't realized how accustomed to them she had become. But now instead of waking up in a scared cold sweat, she was unable to fall asleep. Her heart beat so fast as she would lay her head on the pillow that the sound of it kept her awake.

She knew some of that was due to the new immunotoxin Ketracel. Her body was still getting use to the powerful serum that J'onn and Bruce had concocted. But, the main reason for her sleepless nights had to be the anxiousness of what would come. The decision she had made on how to move forward was bigger then any other one she had ever made before. But she had no doubt that it was the right one. To know she had had the support of Hank, Oliver and Dinah boosted her confidence. However, anxiety still nipped at her heart. After a few sleepless nights, she finally figured out why.

Getting out of bed, she pulled her robe on and walked out of her room and into the hall. Despite it being past 2 a.m. she walked to the bedroom closest to hers and knocked on the door in the hopes the occupant would also still be awake.

Hearing no answer, she tested the handle to find it was unlocked. She let herself in, happy to see the light was still on.  
"I haven't seen you much since the funeral."

Wally looked up at her, surprised and nodded. "Yeah I had some things to do the last few days."

Looking around the room, realization hit her. All of Wally's things were gone except for the suitcase that lay on the bench in the back of the room. The suitcase lay open, an indication he was getting ready to fill it.

"You're leaving?" Her voice was filled with an uneasiness. "Is it because of me?"

Giving her a sympathetic smile, Wally stood up and stepped closer to her. "Yes, but not in the way you think." He glanced down at her hand as he took it in his own. "I came to stay to help you recover from surgery. Now that your better you don't need me here anymore. And like Grammy Flash use to say, don't overstay your welcome." Shrugging his shoulders, he let go of her hand and continued to pack his suitcase.

"What if I don't want you to go?"

With his back turned to Preston, he smirked. "I have to get back to Keystone and my apartment. Besides," he raised his eyebrow suggestively as he turned back to face her. "What reason do you have for me to stay?"

"I," she could think of a million reasons, but did she have the courage to say them? "I need some more training." She sped through the words, trying to think of any excuse to keep him here.

"Training for what?"

"Hank gave me his blessing to take up Dove's mantle. But I'm not quite ready to take it on yet. When Dove and I went out, I was too reliant on him. It would help if I relearned some things."

"Well of course. You know I will help you with anything. But I don't need to stay here for that. We can train on the Watchtower." Sighing he walked over to the dresser, pulling out the last of his clothes. There was no question in his mind, he would do anything to stay by Preston's side. But, that was his selfishness talking. He loved her so much that he was afraid if he stayed in that house any longer, he might say or do something that would ruin the friendship they had. This had not been an easy decision to come to, especially after the last few weeks. And the last thing he wanted to do was confess his love to her right after she had lost Dove. He wasn't sure how fragile her emotions were, and he had no right to make the situation worse.

Preston took a deep breath and walked over to his suitcase, closing the lid. "Please don't leave. At least not until I say what I need to say."

Wally was surprised at the amount of confidence Preston was exuding. All he could do was nod as he stepped closer to her until they were only inches apart.

Preston bit her lip nervously. "Wally, I need you to know something."

Wally looked at her dreamily and replied, "Mmm hmm. What's that?" Being this close to Preston, seeing the determined look on her face made him week in the knees. He wanted to be even closer to her and while he knew he should have stopped himself, there was a gleam in her eye that pushed him to take another step.

Looking into Wally's eyes, Preston stumbled over her words. "I hope, no wait. I mean could you." She paused and looked away from him for a moment mumbling something to herself. "I need to get this right." With renewed confidence she looked back up at Wally. "Wally, I know you consider us best friends, but I don't."

A frown immediately appeared on Wally's face. Preston tried not to let this stop her.

"I'm not your best friend. Instead I'm the girl of your dreams masquerading as your best friend." With those words, she turned her face away, too afraid to see his expression.

Less then a second later, Wally's hand was on her cheek, gently moving her head until it was facing him. Nervously she looked up at him. A wide smile was plastered on his face and he was looking at her with an intensity she had never seen before. As they stared at each other, worry begin to cross her features. The lack of response was making her uneasy. She opened her mouth to say something else, when Wally grabbed her around his waist, pulling her to him. He moved his hand to cup her cheek and leaned his head down until his mouth was a mere centimeter away from hers. Taking a split second to decide if he was going to regret his next step or not, he stroked her cheek with his thumb then planted his lips on hers.


	16. Chapter 15

**I've found a reason for me** **  
** **To change who I used to be** **  
** **A reason to start over new** **  
** **And the reason is you**

" _Do you think this Lobo character shops at Bikers R Us_?" Green Arrow's thoughts made Hawk laugh out loud.

"What are you Justice dweebs laughing about? It better not be about your main man." Lobo moved in closer to the three superheroes that now stood before him. Hawk lunged at him, throwing his fist at Lobo's face. Not even fazed, Lobo laughed at him before picking him up and throwing him a few feet away.

Green Arrow ran over to help Hawk up, he waved him away and gave him a knowing look. " _Don't worry about me, hit him with an arrow."_ He pointed up at the alien bounty hunter that was slowly heading toward them.

Reaching into his quiver, Green Arrow reached for the one arrow that might give them an advantage. Placing the arrow into his bow, he pulled back the bowstring, hitting the ground in front of Lobo releasing an olive-colored gas.

"Gas, you ankle suckers are playing dirty now." Covering his mouth, Lobo coughed a few times, attempting to get the gas out of his lungs. Looking up again at the two men and woman in front of him Lobo shoved his fist into the empty car next to him. "Time to make you say uncle."

Before he got a chance to pick up the car and throw it, a white laser-like beam hit his shoulder, knocking him backward. Angry, he got back up quickly.

"Who hit me? Nobody messes with Lobo."

Lobo started intently at the girl superhero who stepped forward, separating herself form the two men who stood on either side of her. She wore a tight-fitting blue corset with a bird detail on the top edge. The white skirt she wore at her waist had a feather like hem that hit her mid thighs. A white mask covered her intense white eyes. As she walked closer toward him she pushed her brown-haired ponytail off her left shoulder, in a show of confidence.

"I did, and I will do it again if you don't leave here."

"Who are you to tell me to leave?" The irritation in Lobo's voice was apparent.

"My name is Dove. Now go back to whatever planet you came from."

" _Ok, wow how badass was that_?" Hawk's thoughts were always the loudest in the group. " _That was like a drop-the-mic kind of moment_."

Dove and Green Arrow both looked at Hawk with amusement for a split second before turning their attention back to Lobo.

" _Yes, we can all acknowledge that my daughter is amazing later, right now we have to figure out how to get rid of this guy. He's as strong as Supes. Ideas_?" Green Arrow revealed what they had all been thinking.

"So, are you going to just stand there looking at each other or are you going to try to make me leave?" Lobo tapped his foot impatiently.

" _Dang I always forget we can fight and talk since no one can hear us_." Running full speed toward Lobo, Hawk smirked. " _Gotta love telepathy_."

* * *

As Dove made her way to meet Flash on the upper deck of the Watchtower she sighed dreamily. This past year had been one of change and hope. Not only had she been accepted back into the Justice League, but she actually felt like she was doing good helping others while also doing a lot to help herself. What made her even more happy was the fact that she had her own team among the League. Finally, being able to control her telepathy was the reason she was able to work with Green Arrow and Hawk almost every day.

The joy she felt from Green Arrow every time they communicated telepathically made Dove's heart swell. While her telepathy was still only able to work with those she was emotionally close to, she didn't mind that. It made her relationships with those few people even stronger. Her telepathic connection to Flash hadn't taken any effort on her part, it came almost naturally. But it took a lot of time and effort to develop one with Green Arrow and Black Canary. Now that it was established, she couldn't imagine her life without that connection.

The real surprise in her life had been her ever developing friendship with Hawk. She had hoped that taking on Dove's mantle would allow a friendship to grow between them, but she never imagined they would be as close as they now were. They were so close that Dove could now speak to him telepathically as well. She cherished his companionship and knew that she and Hawk both felt that Don would have been proud at the connection they now shared.

All the recent developments in her life were exciting but sometimes overwhelming. With all she had been through she never imagined she would end up where she was today. And she could imagine no one greater to have by her side then the Flash.

As she approached, she saw his big smile greet her. He closed the distance between them, grabbed her waist and pulled her as close to him as possible. "Hey you." Leaning down, he brought his lips down to hers, gracing them casually. She grunted in playful frustration and grabbed onto the lighting rod covering his chest, pulling him the rest of the way down until their lips met in a short but passionate kiss.

They reluctantly pulled away from each other, but remained as close as physically possible. They stared into each other's eyes as they took a moment to catch their breath. Flash winked at Dove, causing a blush to rise in her cheeks.

"So, I have been meaning to tell you. Tomorrow is the annual Keystone Carnival again."

"Ok."

" I have kissing booth duty. I'm so sorry. I signed up to do it every year for like five years. I hope that's ok."

She chuckled. "That's just like you, to make sure you're not only the center of attention but that your kissed by at least a dozen girls a year."

Flash bent over at the waist, pretending to go in for another kiss. Just as he reached her lips, he turned his head and brought his lips up to her ear and whispered. "You know that's not true. You're the only one I want to kiss." He felt her cheek get hot as he slowly moved away from her.

Looking up at him Preston smiled. "I know."

"Besides, I want you to come."

"Flash I don't really want to watch you kiss a bunch of women."

"I know but it's where we had our first kiss." He blushed. "Just come." His eyes pleaded with her.

"Fine." She gave in, knowing she rarely found herself able to say no to him.

Flash picked up her petite body off the ground and hugged her to him. "You just made my day." His smile was so big it was contagious.

"Ok, ok. Put me down now." She hit his arms in an effort to be let down. When she was safely back on the ground standing in front of him she sighed and rolled her eyes. "What time do you want me there?"

* * *

Preston looked down at what she was wearing as she walked on to the grounds of the carnival. Not knowing why, she decided to wear what she wore the day she had last been here with Wally. The day they first met in person over two years ago. She struggled to tuck the Flash shirt into her jeans a little more as a group of young boys ran past her and to the churro stand. Making her way to the far end of the carnival she passed the Ferris wheel and smiled.

As she approached the area that the kissing booth was in, she paused confused. She looked up at the booth and saw Flash sitting there smiling to himself and whistling.

"Am I late? Where is everyone?"

Flash stood up and looked over at her. "Hey. No, you are right on time. I guess this booth isn't as popular this year." He shrugged his shoulders to emphasize the point.

"I'm sorry I know you look forward to this each year."

Looking down, Flash took a deep breath and responded in a low voice. "Buy a ticket."

Preston looked at him, her face revealing the confusion she was in. "What?"

"Buy a ticket."

Not knowing what else to do, she went over to the vendor and bought a ticket for the kissing booth. As she was handed the ticket, nerves started to nip at her. Why she was nervous to kiss Flash she didn't know, she kissed him on an almost daily basis. But that didn't do anything to stop the butterflies that swarmed in her stomach.

As she approached the booth, Flash walked up to her and stuck out his hand. "I need your ticket." His voice had taken on a somewhat seductive yet adoring tone.

When she handed him the ticket, he grabbed her hand in his and got down on one knee. Preston's heart caught in her throat and she could feel her face get red and hot.

"Preston. You are my best friend, the love of my life. You are my reason. The reason I have changed into the man that I am today. The reason I wake up in the morning, the reason I help other people and the reason I want to start a new life today, with you." Pausing, Flash looked up at her to see her free hand covering over her mouth and tears were running down her face. Taking that as a good sign, Flash nervously reached into his pocket and brought out a ring. He guided it on to her finger as he continued. "Preston, I wanted you to come to this kissing booth, so I could tell you that from now on you are the only person I want to kiss for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"

His heart was beating a mile a minute as he waited for her response. He gently stroked her hand, unsure of what else to do. Suddenly a wave of emotion took over him. In one instant he felt overtaken by love, friendship, admiration and joy. He closed his eyes and focused on the thoughts now in his head.

Unable to speak out of pure joy Preston answered in the only way she knew how to. " _Wally. Yes, yes I will marry you_." Her thoughts were clear and precise.

Ecstatic Flash stood up and pulled her into a kiss. Through the kiss they both felt the joy each other was feeling. They pulled apart and leaned their heads against one another, smiling. Flash kissed her cheek then pulled away a bit.

"She said yes!" As he yelled this, people started to fill up the area. Preston looked over at the crowd that had appeared.

She spotted everyone she loved. As she looked at the faces of Oliver, Dinah, J'onn, Hank and Bruce, she blushed. They all looked at her with a pride in their eyes that made her even more sure of the choices she had made in her life.

Preston could have never predicted that it was through such hardships that she would find herself here. And though she sometimes wished she would have done things differently to prevent all the pain and suffering that had happened, right now she was thankful that her story had a happy ending.

 **The End**


End file.
